A Maelstrom's Legacy
by rightforlife
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru have been wearing masks their entire lives. The masks will crumble when the world is in great peril. Who exactly are they? Read as they take the world by storm! Naru/Tema, Shika/Fem Haku,Kaka/Anko, Asu/Kure.
1. The New Dawn

**This fic will be AU and contain a smart Naruto. I'm sick and tired of the Naruto who is portrayed as loud and obnoxious. The backstory is that Naruto has been pretending to be stupid on the behest of the Sandaime. He will start to show his true colors after the graduation. Also, it's only the civilians and some ninja that dislike the boy, otherwise he is respected. Also, Shikamaru will play a big part in the story, Naruto and him will be like brothers. The pairings will be Naruto/Temari and Shikamaru/Fem Haku, Kaka/Anko, and Asu/Kure...maybe more. Be prepared for some twists in the story. Naruto will have a bloodline-that many people might not be expecting. This contains slight Sasu/Saku maybe Hinata bashing. Ja...ikimasho!  
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><p><strong>The Beginning of a Legend<strong>

A small twelve year old boy was running, no he was sprinting through a forest in the middle of the night. He had no idea what was going on. Well no, actually that was a lie. He knew exactly what was going on. He wasn't stupid. That bastard of a teacher, Mizuki had "tricked" him into stealing the Scroll of Sealing just so he could give to the the gay ass pedophile, Orochimaru. Somewhere in Oto, a pale snake freak sneezed.

_Jeez, _Naruto thought. _How much longer will I have to wear this damn mask. It's bad enough that all the civilians in this damned village hates me, but I have to act like an idiot on top of that. Plus this frickin' jump suit. I mean what self respecting shinobi wears kill-me orange. This will definitely have to change once I become a ninja, (if that happens). _Naruto then thought back to his meeting with the Sandaime a couple hours ago.

**Flashback:**

"Oi, jiji I have something to tell you!" Naruto exclaimed, shushining into the room in a great blast of fire.

"Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that! The paperwork might get burned damn it! I HATE paperwork!" the Sandaime yelled very loudly. The hidden ANBU flinched at their leader's loud voice.

"Listen ya old geezer. I failed the last exam just like you wanted." Naruto then adopted his 'real' face-a face of utter calm that betrayed no emotion. "Mizuki wants me to seal the scroll of sealing. I think that somehow, Orochimaru is involved. Every major attack in Konoha history in the last twenty five years always leads back to him. Anyway...what do you want me to do?"

The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked ill. He was actually starting to look his age. "Naruto," he said, "Take the scroll and see what he wants. You have my permission to show your true strength and your bloodline against him—under the condition that you kill him of course. The traitor will die regardless of your actions."

The Sandaime had asked Naruto to hide his true potential from all of his peers, except for one. In fact, that exception was also a lot like Naruto as well. Naruto's A rank mission for the past five years was to act as the 'dobe' and scope out true potential for the village.

"Alright jiji, just give me the scroll and I will leave." Hiruzen tossed him the scroll. Naruto was just about to walk out when Sarutobi said "Naruto, you have my permission to learn a jutsu out of the scroll. It doesn't matter which one...ok?" If Naruto was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, he nodded his understanding.

The ANBU in the room were flabbergasted. The Sandaime Hokage-the GOD of Shinobi was letting a not yet Genin learn a jutsu out of the forbidden scroll! Contrary to popular belief, the ninja section of Konoha respected Naruto immensely for being the Jailor of the Kyubi no Kitsune. Most of the ANBU in the room were part of Naruto's guard when he was a kid and had to be protected against the attacks of the retarded villagers. It was only some resentful Chunins like Mizuki who hated him, besides the civilian section. But still. Even if he was the surrogate grandson of the Hokage, (and the son of another) to have a _child_ learn out of the scroll was unheard of.

Naruto paused as he was about to exit the room. "Anko nee-chan, Kakashi nii-chan. Come with me in the forest. I think that there is more to Mizuki than meets the eye. He is not a standard chunin." Naruto left in the same way he came, in a whirl of flames.

This left the two ANBU in question, Hebi and Inu surprised and confused. Not only had Naruto correctly deduced their ANBU identities, (they weren't allowed to tell him who they were) he had sensed that they were in the room AND he had called them Nee chan and Nii chan. It was heartwarming. The two ANBU looked at each other and nodded, only to disappear in a swirl of leaves.

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><p><strong>Flashback Kai!<strong>

Naruto grinned as he felt two familiar presences near him. He didn't acknowledge them because he knew Mizuki was watching. The Shinobi in Konoha were all informed of what Naruto was doing, and why. They all liked him, and trusted the Sandaime that Naruto would do a good job. Right now, all the potential senseis (except Kakashi) and other jonins were watching the events unfolding through the Sandaime's crystal ball.

Naruto came to a clearing and stopped. He sensed Mizuki in a treetop about 100 feet away from him. Recalling what the Sandaime said, he decided that he would learn a jutsu from the scroll. Opening the scroll, he found none to be interesting.

**Kage Bunshin –** he learned that one when he was five and learned that he had too much chakra for a regular useless bunshin.

**Bakaretsu Bunshin-** Too easy for Naruto. HE had already made his own variation out of it...less explosive though. The bunshin's body would explode in a thousand sakura petals, each as sharp as a razor. He had used this variation when a Kumo nin had tried to kidnap Hanabi Hyuuga four years ago when he was eight.

Naruto found some more that looked interesting, but were really not. Hell, he had learned half of them years ago, mainly from Kakashi and Asuma. The two jonins were his surrogate brothers. Well, technically, Kakashi was his cousin. Sakumo Hatake was the cousin of Namikaze Minato, but since both of them were orphans, the boys' uncle, Jiraiya had raised them. They were as close as brothers, and the bond had been passed down to their children as well.

_Hmmm_. Naruto thought as he looked at the scroll again. **Shiki Fujin**. _That's what dad used to seal furball in me eh?_

"**Kit, how many times do I have to tell you that I resent being called FURBALL!"** (Did I forget to mention that Naruto knew about the Kyuubi since he was four? No...well oops.)

"_Ah go suck it nii chan." _Was Naruto's snarky response.

"**Well ya know, I did love to suck my lady dry back in the day...but I guess i'll have to make do with you now." **Kyuubi shot back.

Naruto just gave a mental chuckle at his 'brother's' response. "_Yeah yeah I know, Hitomi nee chan was the love of your life and then you were sealed inside me. Jeez it wasn't my fault that Madara Uchiha decided to use Kohoha as fodder for his twisted plan to dominate the world._

As soon as Kyuu had met Naruto after Naruto meditated to reach his inner self, Kyuu had told Naruto who he was and why he was sealed inside him. Hitomi happened to be Kyuu's mate. Naruto in turn had relayed all the information to the Sandaime. The Sandaime had secretly been ordering Jiraiya to look out for any information regarding the traitorous man.

BACK TO THE FOREST

'_Well, I gotta make Mizuki-teme believe that I'm learning a forbidden jutsu. I'll do __**Kage Bunshin**__ I guess.' _For the next hour or so it looked like Naruto was working very hard at mastering a jutsu while in fact he was having an intense thumb war with himself. _  
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From the treetops Mizuki was watching the 'Demon-Brat' carefully. _'Yes, that's right Naruto, learn from the scroll. It's not like you will be alive later to use it anyway. Soon, my lord, the scroll of sealing will be in your hands and I will be rewarded beyond belief!' _(Insert manic laughter here.)

Mizuki had been planning this little escapade two weeks before the genin exams. Naruto had joined the Academy when he was seven. Mizuki had periodically been placing genjutsus on his tests, to make him intentionally fail. Of course Naruto, being the damn genius that he is, told Sandaime Jiji all about what the bastard had been doing. In addition to the genjutsu, Mizuki had given Naruto rusty old kunais to throw and always sparred with Naruto himself to humiliate him further. The only reason why Naruto put up with the crap was because Hiruzen had given Naruto the S-Rank mission of revealing all of Mizuki's dirty little secrets-(they will be divulged later on).

Just as Mizuki was about to tell Naruto what a 'good job' he had done in getting the scroll of sealing, another presence quickly made itself present.

"NARUTO!" Iruka-sensei yelled. "What the heck are you doing with _that_ scroll?"

For a second Naruto had been confused as to why Iruka was here when all the shinobis in the village were informed of what Naruto was doing. Then Naruto realized that 'all the shinobis' to him just meant some chunins, all the jonins, and the ANBU'. Iruka must not have heard Naruto's mission, and came to confront him himself.

Naruto quickly put on his 'stupid' mask. "Oh Iruka sensei you caught me! Ano sa! Ano sa! Mizuki sensei told me that if i learned a jutsu from the scroll, i could graduate. Ne, honto ka? (Is that true?)." said Naruto feigning ignorance.

Iruka, for his part was flabbergasted. Mizuki had come to him earlier saying that Naruto had stolen the scroll of sealing. Iruka knew that Naruto was depressed that he hadn't passed, but to seal a forbidden scroll? That was preposterous. Iruka was frightened that perhaps the demon sealed inside of him was influencing Naruto into doing this. It also raised the question as to how the 'Dead last' had managed to steal something that had various barriers around it. Perhaps Naruto was more skilled than he let on, (no shit) or that he had done his ridiculous **Oiroke no Jutsu** on the Sandaime. He shuddered at the latter of the two.

'_Mizuki?'_ Iruka was very confused at the moment. Before he could say anything, Mizuki decided to make his presence apparent.

"Naruto, excellent job in taking the scroll. Now, please give me it so i can give to back to Sandaime Sama. We had this entire thing planned out for you so you can graduate. Having you learn from the scroll was the best way of developing your non-existent skills."

In the Hokage's office, the Sandaime snorted. Mizuki had no idea what was going to become of him, Naruto would assure that.

"Ya know what Mizuki _sensei, _i don't really feel like it. This scroll is pretty cool and giving it to a stranger is against my morals." Everyone who heard that comment sweat dropped.

"Haha... don't make me laugh! What would a _demon_ like you know about morals? Oi Naruto, do you know why everyone calls you a demon? Perhaps _I_ should be the one to tell you."

"Wait Mizuki, no! It's against the law!" A frantic Iruka cried. He had been assessing the situation in relative silence, thinking on what to do next. Iruka was in turmoil. Mizuki was one of his oldest friends since the academy who, was making Naruto a pawn in a scheme that only God (or Orochimaru) knew.

"Iruka you idiot, you can't stop me! Naruto, the reason why everyone hates you is because you are **Kyuubi no Kitsune**! The Yondaime sealed him in you and the Sandaime made a law that said that know one can talk about it."

Naruto put on a horrified expression and began to roll on the forest ground in what looked like uncontrollable fury, but it was actually badly restrained mirth that was coming out. "Nooo! Noo! How is that possible? Is that why the village hates me? Is that why i have massive stomach pains when i eat too much ramen? Then, then, am i really a monster?" Naruto's expression changed to a stormy visage. "That's what you expected me to say isn't it? Well newsflash asshole, i've known about Kyu nii-chan since i was four and i gotta say, as long as i keep feeding him ramen, he's a great brother."

Everyone in the Hokage's office burst into uncontrollable laughter. Asuma was clutching the sides of his father's desk while wiping the tears from his eyes. "God i love Naruto's mask sometimes." he said. The Hokage himself concealed his mirth carefully and replied, "Yes, well lets see how this plays out."

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><p>Mizuki looked like a gaping fish for a moment. Iruka was stunned. Anko and Kakashi quickly pulled out cameras and snapped pictures of their shocked expressions.<p>

Mentally, Iruka sweatdropped. Only Naruto could bond with the king of Makkai (hell) through ramen.

"So you admit to being the demon? That's great, now you will be executed and i will get the scroll of sealing. Then, i will be made the Hero of Konoha for killing the very thing that nearly destroyed it."

Naruto was getting sick and tired of Mizuki's pathetic attempts to rile him up. This could be noted because of the visible tick on the boy's face. But, he wanted to know if Mizuki really was working for Orochimaru. "Pardon me _sensei_," he snarled the word with contempt. "I am not adequate with sealing jutsus, (that's a lie) but if a kunai is sealed into a scroll, then does that really mean that the scroll itself is the kunai? No, the kunai and the scroll and completely different and it would be best if you and the pathetic civilians in this village learn that. However, if the scroll is opened, the kunai will be unleashed and reek havoc on its victim. Am i correct?"

Neither Mizuki nor Iruka could find any flaws with his logic. Iruka was startled by the many revelations that Naruto had made. He was certainly not the hyperactive blond that he was thought to be. This Naruto was calculating and shrewd, like a true shinobi.

Mizuki was growing impatient with the brat. He took out a syringe and a vial of purple looking liquid from a flap in his chunin vest. He took the syringe and inserted it into his wrist. Naruto felt a dark presence entering Mizuki's system. Cautiously, he took a whiff of the air and became alarmed. The stuff smelled like Anko, like snakes. But it was stronger, much stronger. It reeked of death, depair, anguish, and surprisingly little boys. "Shit," Naruto cursed. Mizuki was growing stronger by that stuff, and things just got a lot more complicated for the blond.

Kakashi and Anko were worried for Naruto. They knew that they had to step in sooner or later, but what Naruto had said earlier stopped them.

**Flashback no jutsu...Hajime!**

**"**Oi, Naruto, why did you want to see us?" Kakashi asked with his usual eye smile. Anko stood beside Kakashi as well, waiting for an answer.

"Nee chan, nii chan..." Naruto began very serious, "I asked both of you to come with me because i trust you with my life. Kaka nii, you are my brother and Anko nee, i'm pretty soon you will become my sister...legally. Kakashi and Anko looked at each other, bewildered, then Kakashi blushed furiously as Anko turned as violet as her hair.

"Maa, Maa, Naruto. You know Anko and I don't have that kind of relationship. _Yet." _Kakashi said.

"Oh really, then why did i hear you _moaning and groaning_ her name in the bathroom over and over again. For like half an hour, all i was listening to was _Anko, ohh Anko, why are you doing this to me._ And so on. Be quieter the next time you do something like that." Naruto retorted.

Kakashi wanted to bury himself under all of his porn books never to be dug out again. _Naruto, i'll pay you back tenfold one day._ Anko didn't know whether to be appalled or flattered that the silver haired wolf was 'ahem', thinking 'happy' thoughts about her. _Though now that i think about it, _she mused, _he is quite the_ looker..._If only i could see what was beneath that mask of his, or maybe_ even lower...she added perversely.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Anyway, you must have a good reason for us to come if you think that you can't take Mizuki by himself."

Naruto replied, "No, Mizuki most likely will not be that big of a problem. I **will** kill him. I need you two here for one of two reasons, either he will have some type of backup, or he has the curse mark like you **did** Anko Nee. If he does, then his body, once no longer living, will be the perfect reference to Orochimaru's work. I checked Mizuki's records, and he left the village three months ago to a village called Otogakure for a potential alliance between us and them. Mizuki was rather rudely turned away from them, but I believe that Orochimaru has something to do with it. When he came back to the village, his fiancee, Tsubaki reported that he was being rough and violent. He was also yelling something in his sleep like "_power, I need more power_." Iruka reported that he nearly killed an academy student while a simple taijutsu spar. In fact, Mizuki was openly showing his hatred towards me in class, and placing all of my tests under high level genjutsus that were somewhat difficult to break. Not to mention that he smells strongly of snakes. Kyu's nose dies just standing around him. His aura is becoming dark and malevolent. Something or _someone_ has to be influencing him.

If it had been anyone else but those two who had heard what Naruto had said, they would have been floored. However Kakashi and Anko knew of their "Naru-chan's" intelligence.

Kakashi nodded and said, "So what do you want us to do?"

"I want you to trust me. Just watch my back...please. This is your little brother asking."

Kakashi eye smiled and Anko ruffled his hair. "Why of course Naru-chan, who are we to deny our little darling otouto (little brother) anything?" Anko said.

Naruto grinned his foxy little grin and exclaimed "Thanks guys, you're the best!" Kakashi watched as he ran off into the distance, clutching the Forbidden scroll. _Ne, oji san, oto san, what would you say if you saw Naruto now?_

"So Kakashi, what was it that Naru-chan said about you jacking off to me?" Anko asked sultrily. The look in her eye was that of a predator to her pray. SO Kakashi did the only thing that any man would have done in his place...he ran...far away._  
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><p><strong>Flashback Kai!<strong>

**"**Anko," Kakashi whispered to her from their hidden location in the treetops, adjacent to where Mizuki had been hiding, "Let's trust him, and see how this plays out." Anko nodded her affirmation. The pair watched the trio with tense eyes, ready to move at the slightest sign of Naruto faltering.

Meanwhile, Mizuki was developing a very tiger like exterior. The telltale signs of the cursed seal appeared on his body as well. His body was smoking slightly, and Iruka was cringing with the vile chakra that surrounded him. Iruka turned to look at Naruto, and to his surprise, Naruto held a deceptively passive attitude. His face was void of any emotion while he was taking in the scene in front of him.

Naruto was in deep concentration. Without a doubt, Mizuki's transformation was because of Orochimaru's experimentation on that vile he had injected. _That potion seems to give the user enhanced abilities for a designated period of time. However, it takes a severe toll on the body_**,** _and Mizuki will die within minutes after the effects are over. Hmmm, well Oro-teme, i guess i can thank you for one thing. _Naruto's musings were cut short by a hysterical laugh.

"Ohhh, I can just feel the power oozing off of me. Now i can finally beat you to the ground demon brat! And you too Iruka. You protected that demon so many times that it makes me sick! You're just a weak, pathetic, demon lover!"

Iruka was boiling with fury. "Shut the fuck up! Look at yourself! How dare you call Naruto a demon when you yourself have turned into a _thing_. Who are you Mizuki, _what_ are you?"

"Me, I am your **killer_. _**Mizuki raised his fuuma shuriken to pierce knew he was trapped, he had no way of countering that shuriken when it came. **_  
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_So this is how I will die eh? At least Naruto can get away to inform others._ Iruka resgined himself to death.

All of a sudden, a great burst of wind knocked the shuriken out of Mizuki's hand. He looked around wildly until he spotted the creator of the wind. There, fifty feet in front of him, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto stood there with his back against the very same tree that Anko and Kakashi were hidden in. "So, how did you like my **Fuuton Renkudan**?" Naruto asked as if he was discussing the weather outside.

Mizuki's lips turned up in an insane smile. "Ah hello Demon, how would you like to see your sensei die today?" Not once did he consider that Naruto had just done a B-ranked elemental jutsu. And this was the supposed dead-last of the year.

"Iruka sensei? Dying? Don't be preposterous, the only one dying will be you today."

Iruka was amazed that the boy thought he could actually kill Mizuki. In addition to that, he was surprised to hear the 'preposterous' come out of his mouth. It seemed like the only vocabulary that the boy had was 'ramen, and hokage'.

"Ne, Mizuki-teme, tell me, who do you work for?"

At this, Mizuki stiffened, and Naruto, Kakashi, and Anko saw this.

"Wh..What do you mean...b..boy?"

_Hmmm, _Naruto thought. _Mizuki is stuttering, and is sounding an awful lot like someone else I know. I wonder who._ Meanwhile in the Hyuuga estates, a blue haired pale eyed girl sneezed while in front of her Naruto Shrine.

"I mean that the stuff that you injected is not from Konoha. This leads me to believe that you have accomplices from another village helping you in some plan. Or perhaps you are planning to steal the Forbidden scroll, leave the village, and give it to your master."

Mizuki gulped nervously. He hadn't expected the brat to be so observant in his analysis.

"So tell me again, **Who are you working for?"** This time the question was laced with demonic killer intent. Mizuki nearly pissed in his pants while Iruka was trembling on the ground. Where had the adorable hyperactive blond gone, and who exactly had replaced him?

Inwardly, Anko smirked. _Fuck with him and you are screwed_.

The people in the Hokage's office were all proud of how far Naruto had come, even when he was faced with adversity.

Mizuki put on a face of false bravado. "Ha ha, why the hell would i tell a demon like you anything?"

"Hmm, maybe because this 'demon' is going to beat the shit out of you if you don't." A gentle wind flew through the area, and at Naruto's whim, captured Iruka and guided him back to safety. As Iruka stared at Naruto in awe, Naruto asked, "It's Orochimaru, right? That curse seal is his."

At this moment, no words were needed to confirm Naruto's suspicions. Mizuki's face told all the answers.

Kakashi made subtle handsigns and within seconds, the Hokage was next to him, observing keenly. Anko dropped down to pick Iruka up.

Once both were situated comfortably on the tree tops, Iruka was thoroughly confused. The Hokage, and two Anbu were just watching his wayward student without having the slightest inclination to help.

"Ano...Hokage Sama..." Hiruzen looked at Iruka with petulant eyes. "Why is it that you are not helping Naruto fight Mizuki, god knows that he needs it."

The Hokage chuckled slightly, "Ah Iruka, you should have more faith in Naruto. He is not who he seems to be. I'll tell you a small secret. _I_ was the one who _ordered_ Naruto to fail the graduation test three times. Naruto had been voicing suspicions of Mizuki, and when Naruto was asked to take the Scroll of Sealing by the idiot, well it was a perfect ploy to get Mizuki admit working for our village's greatest traitor. Naruto is very strong, stronger than most chunin, and he will only continue to grow. So let's watch my delightful grandson beat the living daylights out of the shitstain in front of us shall we?"

"Naruto is that strong?" Iruka whispered incredulously. It was hard for anyone to believe(except those who knew him), that the prank-loving, hyperactive, idiotic boy was _strong_.

"Hai, Iruka he is, now shut up and watch." The Sandaime replied.

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><p>Mizuki eyed the demon-brat warily. He had controlled the wind to such and extent that was not possible. Just who was he? The best option that Mizuki had was to kill the boy as soon as possible so that he could not mess with his plans any more.<p>

"Are you going to do something, or do i have to make the first move?" Growled Naruto impatiently. "Tch, this is too troublesome for me to deal with.

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><p>Those who were watching through the Sandaime's crystal ball sweatdropped. <em>Since when did he start acting like a Nara<em>? Nara Shikaku, was also watching the confrontation, smirked. It was about high time that somebody understood how troublesome this situation was.

The Sandaime inwardly sighed. _Naruto, as strong as you are, why can't you be more paitent?"_

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><p>Mizuki was furious. "All right you brat! Let's go, show me your demon abilities!"<p>

Naruto sighed. "Listen you idiot, how many times do I have to tell you that I AM NOT THE FUCKING KYUUBI?"

"I don't care, you _are_ the Kyuubi, no matter what anyone says."

"Alright, well it's your death." Naruto put on a very official tone. "Touji Mizuki, you are hereby under arrest for breaking the Sandaime's decree as well as betraying the village and trying to join a sworn enemy. The punishment that I have deemed prudent is death."

Mizuki scoffed. "Oh and what can the _dead last_, someone who is not even a genin do to me, a chunin? You filthy demon brat, you could never touch me!"

Naruto turned around to the place where the Sandaime was positioned. The Sandaime was confused as to what Naruto was doing. Naruto simply threw his hands up in exasperation and kicked the base of the tree a couple times causing the four occupants of the tree top to hang on using chakra.

"Mizuki...' Naruto began in a very serious voice, "Rank means nothing. In fact, i know of one other genin who could kill you right now. (while tending to some deer, a boy sneezed.) Has it ever occured to you that every action that i took was nothing but a farce, a mask? Do you honestly think that i would _willingly_ wear this orange abomination, and that i would eat nothing but ramen ? Has it? I am a lot stronger than you, traitor. And after i graduate, i will flaunt it openly."

Back in the treetops, Iruka knew he had a lot of thinking to do on his blond haired student. Even the _Hokage_ had said that Naruto was stronger than he looked. For years he had adhered to Hatake Kakashi's ideology of looking underneath the underneath. It seems that he had never truly 'looked' at Naruto before. If he had, he would have seen the fake smiles among other things. He would have seen the fake crush that he had on a certain pink haired banshee, and he would have seen the look of hurt on Naruto's face when Iruka had said that he had failed. _I really did mess up didn't I?, _Iruka thought ruefully. From now on, he would be at Naruto's side for as long as he lived, this he vowed.

"Prove it then demon," Mizuki's voice broke Iruka out of his stupor. "Prove that you can kill me. But wait, you can't. You are just talk, you are nothing, you are the scum that resides beneath my feet, and I intend to put you in your rightful place demon."

_You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Mizuki._ This was the thought of all of the onlookers.

"Hn, is that so." Naruto said in an uncanny imitation of Uchiha Sasuke, "Well then, let me show you just what I can do." With a single handmotion, hundreds of Naruto clones appeared. **Kage Bunshin no jutsu.**

Mizuki was slightly scared at the thought of the Kage Bunshins. Slightly was the key word. "Hey, brat! So this is what you learned from the scroll is it?"

One of the Naruto clones picked his ear and looked at his finger. "Eh, no. The boss never really learned anything from the scroll. Hokage jiji said that it would be best if we went along with your plan and pretend to steal it. He learned Kage Bunshin from Kaka-Nii along time ago."

"So you didn't learn any techniques from the scroll at all? Pity. At least you could have died with some sense of accomplishment."

"The scroll wasn't really helpful as I know most of the techniques." Naruto replied.

Iruka was floored. Naruto..._Naruto_ knew jutsus from the forbidden scroll? Now he knew that he _had _to pay more attention to Naruto.

**Kit, c'mon already. I want to kill this bastard so bad.**

_Gomen, Kyuu-Nii. I really have talked to much haven't I? Well, let the ass kicking begin._

**Yeh Naru, kick his pasty white butt from here to America.**

_America...what's that?_

**Ahh...Never mind, anyway go on and start!**

Naruto gave a mental nod to the fox and cracked his knuckles. **"**Let's get wild." Immediately, all of the Naruto clones began a barrage of kicks and punches that knocked the wind out of Mizuki.

"U-Zu-Ma-Ki, Naruto Rendan!" Mizuki was thrust upward briefly, before he came crashing down to the forest floor in a sickening crunch. The onlookers winced at Mizuki's plight. Never fuck with Naruto when he is mad...period.

Mizuki groaned on the floor. How? How was it possible that this demon could injure him this much? It wasn't. He was a chunin and Naruto was a nobody. Then Mizuki felt it, the power in his veins flowed as the liquid that he injected burned, leaving him powerful and Naruto helpless. Or so he thought.

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><p>Kakashi and Anko were growing anxious. As they were about to leave, a hand stopped them.<p>

"Do you honestly think that Naruto would forgive you if you entered his fight?" The Sandaime inquired. Kakashi was about to say something, but Anko cut in. "Sandaime sama, Naruto is our little brother, more so Kaka Kun's then mine, but a little brother all the same. We can't bear the thought of any one hurting him. So please, let us go to him."

"Anko, Kakashi. Trust him. He specifically asked the two of you to come here for a reason and that reason was as backup. So I ask you to trust my grandson."

Iruka was silently listening to this confrontation. _Mitarashi Anko and Hatake Kakashi think of Naruto as their little brother? And the Sandaime thinks of his as his grandson? Naruto...what other surprises do you have_?

Kakashi and Anko nodded, albeit hesitantly.

* * *

><p>Back on the forest floor, Naruto eyed Mizuki with wary eyes. He could smell the venom burning through Mizuki rapidly. <em>Based on this rate, Mizuki will die in the next fifteen minutes. But, he has gotten ridiculously strong as well. What should i do?" <em>Naruto created several more Kage Bunshins without letting Mizuki know. and sent them throughout the forest. One of the Kage shushined to the treetops where the four ninja were located.

"Yo, I'm Alpha, Boss's right hand clone. I was sent here to ask you to join the fight if Mizuki goes out of hand. Oh, and Boss said that Mizuki will die in about fifteen minutes, whether or not the boss kills him."

"Oh and why is that?" The Sandaime asked.

The Naruto clone looked grim, an expression Iruka had never seen on Naruto's face. "Mizuki injected one of Orochimaru's failed experiments into his system. From the smell that boss got from it, it is composed of Orochimaru's blood, tiger DNA, and snake venom. While the potion makes the user stronger for a short while, it completely destroys the chakra pathways and leave the user too weak to think. Eventually, the venom will spread to one place-the heart. When the venom is saturated in the heart, it will constrict the heart and force the aorta to burst, effectively killing the user."

Iruka was at loss for words. (he seems to be stunned by Naruto a lot right?) "Naruto, how exactly do you know this?" he asked. The Naruto clone looked at Iruka critically before his eyes softened a bit. "Gomen, Iruka sensei. I guess you are not used to _this_ Naruto are you?" Iruka shook his head. The Naruto clone continued, "For the past three years, the Boss and several jonins have been researching Orochimaru's experiments. Something big is about to happen and we know it. With the information we acquired, it was possible for us to remove Anko Nee's curse mark. The seal reacts to the users emotions and will. Anko nee never used the seal willingly, so there was no taint in her chakra. The more taint there is, the harder it is to remove. Plus, hers was the prototype, which means all other curse seals are modeled after hers. It also makes it the weakest seal-thus it was easier to remove." Iruka looked at the others incredulously, but they all nodded and told him that Naruto's story was one hundred percent true.

"Naruto, could I ask you a question?"

"Go on Iruka sensei."

"If you are this strong, then why hide it from us. Why did you fail the exam three times?" Naruto's face darkened. "As the boss would say, _which will the people fear more, a smart demon or a stupid one?_ This is all our mask. The civilians are scared of boss and have tried to kill him several times. Of course they couldn't because Boss has the backing of all the clan heads plus all the jonin and ANBU in the village. Throw in Hokage Jiji into the equation and boss is virtually untouchable. But we can't show our powers until it is safe, which means until we are Ninja. Only the civilian sector of the village and some chunins hate the boss. If the boss wanted to get food in the past, all the civilians would overprice him and say that 'they don't serve demons.' The boss only shops in shinobi owned store plus Ichiraku Ramen, which is the only civilian store that will serve him. He openly loves the two working their, and many shinobis eat there because of boss."

Iruka bowed his head in shame. He remembered when Naruto had first entered the academy. No instructors paid attention to him, and Iruka admitted that he was one of them. He used to hate Naruto for something that Naruto had no control over. But as the years passed, Naruto grew on him like a little brother. Today he learned that the Naruto he knew was not the real Naruto. He wanted to know the real Naruto better.

Naruto saw the look that Iruka had. "Iruka sensei, it's alright that you couldn't see through my mask. Only those extremely close to me can like those three. I have many secrets that only the most trusted Jonin and ANBU are privy to. So don't beat yourself up."

"Hai, Naruto, arigato."

Naruto just smiled in response.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the real Naruto and Mizuki were engaged in a heated fight. Naruto figured that Mizuki had about five or six more minutes to live.<p>

**"Fuuton: Daitopa!" **Naruto cried. Mizuki deftly dodged the wind and made a couple hand seals. **"Mugen: Narakumi no Jutsu!**"

Of course Naruto had trained with the genjutsu mistress Yuhi Kurenai when he was younger. He knew all to well what the hell viewing technique did. Kurenai, after realizing that he wouldn't succumb to her genjutsus, practiced on Sarutobi Asuma. He claimed he saw all of his cigarettes being burned forever. Although Naruto was not susceptible to genjutsu, he couldn't cast any of them for his life. So obviously the justsu that Mizuki had done had absolutely no effect on the blond.

"Eh, was that supposed to do something?" Asked Naruto. Mizuki sweatdropped.

"Alright, then it's my turn then." Naruto said in a bored lazy voice that reminded everyone of the Nara clan. Inwardly, Shikaku beamed as he looked through the crystal ball at the blond with fond eyes.

_Alpha, ask jiji if I can use my bloodline. I know that he said yes, but there are many people watching this fight._

_Will do Boss. _"Hokage Sama, boss asked if he could use his bloodline. Although he said that you allowed him to do so, most of those who are watching this fight through your office do not know of his bloodline."

"Naruto has my permission. Let him know that those who are watching are trustworthy."

"Hai." the Naruto clone replied. _Boss, Hokage Sama says it's alright. Go on._

"Naruto has a bloodline?" Iruka asked. "Which one is it?"

"That is something that you will have to see Iruka." Was Anko's reply._  
><em>

_Thanks Alpha._ Naruto took a deep breath and steadied him self. "Oi, Mizuki, prepare yourself."

Mizuki took up a defensive position, poised for any attack that Naruto would throw upon him. However, Naruto made no inclination to move. In reality, the words Naruto had said earlier were meant to provoke Mizuki into attacking. That way, his blood line would be effective.

"Well demon, are you going to attack or not."

"Hn, did you say something?" Kakashi grinned at his cousin. _I love him so much!_

"Tch, well of you're not going to attack I will!" _Perfect. _Naruto thought, _He can't escape now, plus he has three more minutes to live._

Mizuki went through roughly ten hand seals. Just as he was about to cry out his ultimate attack, a cry of **Kage Mane justsu,...success_, _**was heard.

Mizuki could not move. Even with the extra speed he had received, he was stuck. Frantically, he looked around the surrounding are for any Naras, but he couldn't find them. Instead, everyone's favorite blond haired demon brat kneeling twenty five feet away from his with his hands in a rat seal. Shadows extended from his body and held Mizuki in place.

* * *

><p>"NARUTO'S A NARA!" Those who did not know about his bloodline looked forward in awe. Then they turned to Shikaku for an explanation.<p>

"Tch, this is troublesome but yes he is. His father was my half brother. Same father, but different mother, although his mother did hold Nara blood as well. Naruto is my nephew and Shikamaru's cousin. The entire Nara clan knows of this, and we have adopted both Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto into our clan. Kakashi is also my nephew as Sakumo was my brother's cousin, making him my cousin as well. The Nara blood runs strong through Naruto. He has made us all proud." Shikaku finished with obvious pride in his others couldn't help but agree.

Elsewhere in the forest, Iruka was shaking. Naruto had a kekkai genkai, and the Nara limit at that.

"Sandaime Sama, did Naruto get that because of..."

The Hokage sensed what he was asking. "No Iruka, it is not because of Kyuubi. Naruto is part Nara, so he had their bloodline. His father did not have it, but he passed it on to Naruto."

Iruka nodded and fell silent at his leaders explanation. Naruto was the most unpredictable ninja, that was for sure.

* * *

><p>Mizuki was scared. No, he was terrified. The demon brat had a bloodline, which meant he was from a clan. And not just any clan, the <em>Nara<em> clan. Although it was a deceptively passive clan, they were merciless to whoever harmed any of their family. Mizuki was screwed. Perhaps it would have been better to die.

"So teme, do you give up or what? This entire thing is too troublesome and I really have to get home to tend the deer or else Yoshino Baa Chan will castrate me with her bare hands.

All the males shivered. Yoshino could be downright scary when she was pissed. Shikaku, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kakashi could attest to that.

Sighing, Naruto dropped the shadows. **"Kanashibari no Jutsu!" **He called. The ANBU level technique froze Mizuki in place. Quickly, Naruto revealed a katana that he had from a scroll. He threw it at Mizuki who could not dodge because of the paralyses jutsu. Naruto watched in grim satisfaction as the katana loped Mizuki's head off.

"Alright you four, you can come out now. Alpha, report!"

Alpha gracefully descended from the tree. "Sir, there are no known threats in the area. Mizuki was acting alone."

"Thanks Alpha, you and the others can dispel yourselves now." Alpha gave a quick salute to his boss and vanished in a poof of smoke.

Kakashi, Anko, Iruka, and the Sandaime also came down. "Ah Naruto, good work. But tell me, what will you do with his body?" The sandaime asked curiously.

"Hmmmm, I will examine it and send some results to baa chan (guess who). She will analyze it and send it back to me with her data." Naruto replied.

Kakashi laughed. "Now what say us five plus a dead body go back to Hokage Sama's office and have a nice long chat."

The five ninjas all shushinned back into the room.

* * *

><p>As soon as he entered the office, Naruto's eyes met Shikaku's. "Gomen Jii san, I couldn't keep the secret much longer."<p>

Shikaku waved it off. "It's alright Naru, people were going to find out anyway. So does this mean that you will take the Nara name?"

"Yes, I will. From today onwards my name will be Nara Naruto. Dad was an almost complete Nara, yet he took Jiraiya Jii san's last name of Namikaze. I can't call myself Namikaze Naruto because it would start an uproar. But one day I shall take the name Namikaze Nara Naruto. This is promise you." The fire in his eyes was so great that the onlookers were hypnotized by his piercing azure eyes.

"Wait, Namikaze...then does that mean..." Iruka never finished his thought.

"Hai Iruka sensei, Namikaze. Namikaze Minato, or the Kiroii Senko as well as Uzumaki Kushina, the Bloody Red Habanero were my parents. Think about it, do you really think that Dad would let any other parent bear that burden...no. Mom and dad knew what they were doing. My mother was the previous container to the kyuubi as well as the grand niece of the Shodaime Hokage's wife, making her his grand niece as well. Only those of Senju or Uzumaki blood can hold tailed beasts properly. So in essence, I am the living relative to three of the four Hokages, two sannins, the Nara clan, and Hatake Kakashi. Not to mention that since the Uzumaki clan was a branch of the Senju, I am the last of Whirlpool royalty."

For those in the room who didn't know of Naruto's impressive lineage, it was quite the surprise by the implications of what that meant. Naruto was basically village royalty, although the damn villagers could and probably would never see that. The others chuckled at the priceless expressions on some faces. Naruto never failed to disappoint them.

The Hokage cleared his throat. "Yes well Naruto, now that everyone knows your exceptional lineage, it is time we decide your rank as well. Clearly you are a very talented Ninja. Would elite chunin be good for you?"

"In all honest jiji, just put me at genin." All eyes widened at this. "Before any of you say anything, me becoming a chunin will throw off the team numbers. At this moment there are twenty four graduates, including me. If i am out of the equation, then that leaves an unbalance in the teams. So i have to be there. If i get bored or something, just promote me whenever. At that point, it would be easy to get another team member."

Everyone was stunned at Naruto's humility. He would sacrifice his own superior rank to keep the teams intact. He was more like an angel than a demon.

Hiruzen smiled sadly, "Ok, Naru-chan, a genin it is. But i order you two things!."

"Hai!" Naruto snapped to attention.

"You and Shikamaru must start showing your intelligence and true powers-that includes dropping your henge." Secondly, if i see you wearing the slightest bit of orange, you are out of the ninja career. I think i might ban orange from all the stores."

"Jiji, you are absolutely right. This orange monstrosity is driving me insane. And the henge, are you sure?"

"Well of course, you'll look more like your father with it...and if you run into Iwa nins, they most likely will add you in the bingo book as the Nidaime Kiroii Senko. (2nd Yellow Flash).

Iruka felt as if he were out of the loop. "Naruto, if you're wearing a henge, how come no one can see through it?"

Naruto replied, "I'm not really sure, but I think it has something to do with Kyuu nii being stuck in my gut. Kitsunes were always known for their prankster ways, and a solid henge is one of them. It's partially how i did all my pranks, that and I am a GOD at stealth. I hid from ANBU in plain sight in ORANGE for crying out loud. ANBU has an entire course designed to catching me. But it's only you who ever catches me. It's pretty amazing."

Iruka rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah well, it's like I can sense exactly where you are. My senses zone into you." The Sandaime and others made a mental note just to ask Iruka any time Naruto pulled a major prank like he did back in the day such as having the entire village's water supply turn pink and blaming it on the Haruno's.

"Iruka sensei, do you honestly think that i was some scrawny little kid who only ate ramen when i had Kaka nii, Anko nee, Gai nii, Asuma nii, Kurenai nee, Hayate nii, and Yugao nee as my teachers?"

"You were taught by elite jonins?" A random jonin who had watched asked?

"Yeah." That was his simple answer. "Anyway...**KAI**!"

In front of around fifty people crowded in the Hokage's office stood a Naruto who was taller by about five inhes-the same height of Shikamaru, with intense azure eyes. His blond hair was slightly darker and longer, and fell out in long bangs that framed his face. (think his dad's hair) His build was muscular, but not overly so. He was NOT the scrawny boy who Iruka has caught in all his pranks. He was a young man who was worthy of the shinobi name. He was the inheritor to the will of fire.

**Kit, did you see their faces?**

_No duh nii chan, I look like the carbon copy of dad. Of course they are stunned. _

**Haha, i got a mental snapshot of this...now only if I could develop it somehow...**

Naruto mentally sweatdropped. _Yeah, have fun with that..._

"YOSH, NARU-CHAN! YOU'RE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH FLOURISHES SO BRIGHTLY!" Gai said...yelled.

Naruto smiled warmly at him. Although many would be put of by Gai's eccentric ways, Naruto knew it was a farce to mask the pain of losing his wife a year before the Kyuubi attack. Gai had a son somewhere, but he didn't know where. (guess who it is!)

"Thanks Gai nii. You're springtime of youth has not diminished one bit. It burns so brightly that it blinds everyone." Naruto and Gai struck identical 'nice guy' poses and their teeth sparkled.

Kakashi pulled Naruto to the side. "Do not EVER do that again or Anko will set Manda on you, understood?"A storm seemed to rage outside.

"H...Hai, Kaka Nii." Stammered Naruto. Everyone except Gai laughed at his predicament. Gai went to go sulk in a corner with a sad aura emanating from him.

"Anyway, Jiji, do you know who's team I am going to be on?"

"Naruto, why don't you tell me?"

"Um...well I am the dead last in the class, so most likely I would be with the rookie of the year and the top girl in the academy. So I guess that would be Sasuke and Sakura."

"And how about your sensei"

"That's easy...Kaka nii would be our sensei because he is the only one who can teach Sasuke about the Sharingan once he activates it."

"Yes, very good...and how would your team turn out?"

"In all honesty, it would fail." Everyone except the Sandaime and Kakashi was surprised.

"Oh why is that?" Anko asked.

Naruto turned to his surrogate sister. "Sakura is the biggest Sasuke fain girl in existence. At least Ino only pretends to be, so that people will underestimate her. Sakura will blindly follow Sasuke anywhere, if if he decides to leave the village. She would die for him. Additionally, she hates me because according to her, I'm annoying. Kaka nii's test will be about teamwork no doubt. Sakura will work with Sasuke, but not me. Sasuke is a completely different story. I read the reports that Inoichi San had on him. The boy is mentally unstable. He would kill of his teammates to achieve his goals. You probably want me to be the teams' 'SUN', and bring light to Sasuke, but he will never listen. At most, I will become his rival and then he will try to kill me. The other teams are more balanced. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino under Kurenai nee would be the tracking team. Ino, Shika, and Chouji would be their parents team under Asuma nii. My concern about Kurenai's team is that they do not have any heavy hitters, ninjutsu specialists. The Hyuuga do not do ninjutsu, the Aburame rely on their bugs, but it takes too much out of them, and Kiba has a couple of combo attacks with Akamaru, but that's it. The team would not fair well against ninjutsu based opponents. They need at least one ninjutsu person on their team."

Many who did not know Naruto were phased by how much thought he had pit into this analysis in such a short time, Iruka included.

"Naruto, thank you for your insight. I daresay you and Kakashi should get home along with Shikaku otherwise Yoshini chan will kill me as well as you three." The Sandaime along with the three men in question shivered at the thought of their wife or aunt killing them.

"Bye jiji, see ya tomorrow. And tell Ko that he has to work on his Oiroke no Jutsu." Naruto disappeared in a burst of flames. Shikaku and Kakashi followed suit.

"Oiroke no Jutsu? What's that?" Genma asked.

"That technique is Naruto's inner pervert coming out. He calls it the "Kage Killer. Now he's teaching it to my grandson. We are all so so screwed." The Sandaime shivered once more. The remaining people in the room sweatdropped as they saw their leader cowering in fear from a twelve year-old boy's technique, even if the boy could give most members in the room a run for their money.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru met Naruto at the front gates. "Yo Naruto, how'd capturing the traitor go?"<p>

"Eh, he's dead now so no worries. Anyway, Sandaime jiji said that we had to show our real selves. Not the mask that we created."

Shikamaru gave him a once over. "So that's why you dropped the henge?"

"Precisely," Naruto answered. "Let's go to bed. We have to go to the Academy tomorrow. Oh, you should probably know that my name's Nara Naruto now. It was dad's real last name, so it's alright."

Shikamaru grinned. "Good, so now you can start acting like one instead of the hyperactive idiot that you were."

"Tch, troublesome, but yes." Naruto replied.

"Spoken like a true Nara. Let's hurry before mom finds us. She might kill us" Both boys hurried into their rooms. Nara Yoshino stepped out of the shadows and muttered, "I'm not that scary, am I?" A bird dropped dead from the tree as she and her trusty frying pan went to go hit Shikaku over the head for letting her darling nephew take on an enemy by himself.

Shikamaru and Naruto winced as they heard their dad/uncle's yells coming from downstairs. Yep, Nara Shikaku was whipped, figuratively and literally.

* * *

><p>A new dawn was beginning, and with it a new era of heroes would emerge and change the shinobi world as everyone knew it. Nara Naruto and Nara Shikamaru would be at the middle of this change. Old legends will die, and new legends will be born.<p> 


	2. Genin Team and the 'Test'

**The parings in the story will come later on I may be Lemons or there may be not. I haven't decided yet. As you can tell, the fic is ridiculously AU, but it will follow Canon events. Naruto and Shikamaru are the main characters, but the fic will be based mostly on Naruto from a third person view. Naruto and Shikamaru might seem overpowered, but both are high Chunin level at the moment. I'm also including a family tree.**

**Jiraiya is Minato and Sakumo's uncle. Jiraiya's sister married a Hatake who gave birth to Sakumo.**

**Minato is Shikaku's half brother. Same Father, different mother. His mother is Jiraiya's other sister.**

**Kakashi, Naruto, and Shikamaru are all cousins. Jiraiya is all threes great uncle.**

**Tsunade will only be related by blood to Naruto because of Kushina. Kushina is the grand niece of Mito Uzumaki, the grandaughter of her brother. Tsunade is Mito's granddaughter so Tsunade and Kushina are like cousins. Tsunade is Naruto's Aunt/Grandmother figure. Tsunade will also be married to Jiraiya, making her Kakashi, Naruto, and Shikamaru's great aunt. They will be very close and act like a true family.**

**Oh and thanks to all that reviewed:) Let me know if you have any questions or concerns and/or constructive criticism.**

**There may or may not be a lemon in the chapter. Read to find out, I know I am.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Genin Team and the Test<strong>

Naruto met Shikamaru at the breakfast table where Kakashi, Shikaku, and Yoshino already were seated.

"Good morning." Naruto yawned sleepily.

"Morning cuz." Shikamaru replied with his own yawn.

"You're up early today." Naruto noticed. Usually the boys would come down at the same time.

"I woke up a minute before the alarm clock went off. Usually It takes me ten minutes after the alarm to get up but today was different. There was no point in going back to sleep so here I am."

"That really is troublesome isn't it?" At this, Kakashi sweatdropped. _The only troublesome thing here are my two lazy ass cousins._

"Anyway..." Shikamaru said, "We should leave in five minutes if you want to be early. With you dropping the henge, it's only a matter of time before you get fangirls."

Naruto had a horrified expression on his face. "F...fangirls," He stammered. "The things that follow you around no matter what? The very bane of my existance? Shit man, I am so screwed!"

Yoshino banged Naruto over the head with a frying pan. "You will not use such vulgar language in this house! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Naruto yelped out in pain. "Hai.. baa chan. I..I do."

"Good, now finish your breakfast darling. You wouldn't want to be late would you?"

The men at the table were all thinking the same thing, _Are all women bipolar?_

Shikamaru decided to speak up. "Ne, Kaka nii, do you know who our senseis are going to be?"

Kakashi eye smiled. "I do. The team assignments were given to me early this morning. But, it's a surprise so I'm not going to ruin it for ya!"

"Ah forget it Shika, we'll find out anyway. But I'm guessing there are slight changes from the teams that i thought up yesterday?" Naruto asked his silver haired cousin.

"Yep. Hokage Sama stated that you were right and decided to change the teams up. I have to go now so I'll see you at the Academy. Thanks or the meal baa-san. Ja-ne!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shikamaru rose from the table. "Naru, we should leave to."

"Alright Shika, let's go." The two of them disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Yoshino looked at Shikaku. "Our two little boys are growing up so quick, ne Shika chan?"

"That's right Yoshi chan. Although they will face hardships later on, those two are the future of Konoha. With Kakashi and the others to guide them, the two of them will become a force to be reckoned with."

* * *

><p>Naruto and Shikamaru startled Iruka who was entering the classroom. The two of them, dead last and one above the dead last, were seated together in the back of the room with their heads down on the desks, appearing to be sleeping. But Iruka knew now to look underneath the underneath. He focused chakra to his eyes and saw that the two boys were conversing silently using ANBU sign language.<p>

_Shika, I'm hungry._

_Why didn't you get ramen before?_

_Kyuu was sleeping so I didn't want any._

_Tch, that's troublesome. Wait it out. If Kaka nii is your sensei, then you have a good two hours before he comes to get you. Eat then._

_Thanks cousin. You're soooo smart!_

_I'm just as smart as you are ya know?_

_Eh, whatever you say._

After that the two Naras really did fall asleep. Iruka sweatdropped. The two were using ANBU sign language to talk about food. _I guess Naruto really is a Nara._

After about ten minutes, more kids began to trickle in. No one seemed to notice a blond and a brunette in the back of the room sleeping. That is until of course Ino, Chouji, and Kiba entered the room. They had been told what Naruto had done yesterday. The three of them knew of Naruto's fuzzy little problem and lineage since they were kids. It never bothered them, especially after Naruto summoned the fur ball a couple years ago and Ino had glomped him. The fox was quite passive, and he only helped Naruto.

Ino saw their two friends. "Hey guys," she whispered, "Naruto's dropped the henge. He's not wearing that orange _thing_ anymore either."

The two boys looked at their sleeping friend. Indeed, he had ditched the orange jumpsuit and was now dressed like a true shinobi. He had on black shinobi pants and a long sleeved navy blue shirt that had the Uzumaki spiral on the arm. The spiral showed the closeness of the Senju and Uzumaki, it made Naruto feel proud of his lineage. His pants had several pockets in them that help things ranging from senbon to sealing scrolls. His kunai holster was wrapped around his left leg. All in all, he looked like a true shinobi.

The trio walked up to them. Ino gently shook Naruto awake, while Chouji did the same thing to Shikamaru. The Nara cousins awoke grogilly to see the face of their three oldest friends.

Naruto broke the silence. "Yo minna, ready to rock the ninja world?"

"You bet Naruto!" Chouji said. "By the way, why did you drop the henge now?"

Naruto sighed. "Orders, my friend, orders. Shikamaru and I have to show our true powers albeit slowly. Sandaime jiji demands it from us. Speaking of which, Ino, are you going to stop acting like a Sasuke fan girl yet?"

Ino laughed. "Of course Naruto, did you actually think that I would still pretend to like that gay emo after I became a kunoichi? I'm not Sakura."

"True, true. You are the only respectable kunoichi in our group. Sakura has no skills and Hinata...she has no backbone. You on the other hand, you're not afraid to speak your mind and you pack a mean punch." Naruto said.

Ino smiled at her friend, "Thanks Naru, that meant a lot to me." Naruto grinned his foxy grin in return.

"So, do you know who's teams we are going to be on?" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru answered, "No, not really. Naruto, after his escapade yesterday, voiced his opinions on the preordained teams and apparently they got switched around. "

Chouji looked at Naruto in awe. "Woah, Naruto, you really did that?"

"Hmphf, it was troublesome but yes." The three non Naras sweatdropped.

"Naruto...you really are a Nara, aren't you?" Ino commented.

"Of course I am. My name is Nara Naruto after all." This surprised the three non Naras. "Really? So you've taken the clan name and all?" Kiba asked.

"While having my mother's family name is great, I really am a Nara so yes. My name is Nara Naruto.

At that moment Sakura walked in the room looking for her Sasuke Kun. When she couldn't find him, she looked for Ino. But she couldn't find her either. Why? Ino had done a simple genjutsu that let her blend in with the background. While the four boys tried to hold in their laughter, Sakura shrugged and sat down in an empty seat.

Sasuke walked in a few minutes later with his duck-butt hairstyle that almost all the girls seemed to love. The boys would never know why.

All at once the girls started squealing with the pink haired one being the loudest. "Oh Sasuke Sama, please marry me!" "Sasuke-Kun! Sasuke-Kun! Give me your children." "Sasuke Sama! Take me now!"

The last one disgusted many. They were only twelve for Kami's sake! Sasuke probably wasn't even fertile. Plus he was gay so what was the point?

Naruto and Shikamaru got identical evil grins on their faces. The two looked at each other and simultaneously whispered, **"Kage Mane Jutsu...success.**" Two shadows shot out of them and controlled the actions of Sasuke and Sakura. The two in question were moved forward by a seemingly unknown force *coughshikamarucoughnaruto*. Sasuke and Sakura slammed into each other with their lips touching. A collective gasp was heard from the girls in the room.

Sasuke was appalled at himself for doing something so...so...disgusting. Sakura...was on cloud nine billion. Her Sasuke Kun had _kissed HER._ No words could express what she was feeling. So she did what any respectable kunoichi did, she fainted.

Iruka was watching all of this with an amused eye. He had seen the two Naras use their bloodline, and it was quite funny.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office the jonin instructors were cracking up.<p>

"Damn Kakashi, your cousins sure are diabolical aren't they?" Gai asked.

Kakashi wiped the tears out of his eye. "Hmm, you say something?"

"NO, CURSE YOU AND YOUR HIP WAYS KAKASHI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL!"

* * *

><p>Iruka decided that enough was enough in his classroom. "SHUT UP!" He roared using his Big-headed Jutsu.<p>

"Sensei, where is Mizuki sensei?" Asked a newly revived Sakura.

Iruka cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Mizuki sensei turned traitor to us and tried to steal the scroll of sealing."

Another gasp was heard throughout the room. Mizuki sensei was a traitor?

"So where is he now?" Asked a random kid.

"He's dead." Iruka replied grimly.

That stunned all the kids except for Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji.

"Right, so lets get back on track, shall we?" Iruka said sensing more questions. "It's time for your team placements.

"Team one"...(these teams aren't important)

Team Seven: Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, and...Nara Naruto? Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." Naruto and Shikamaru sat up straight. It was impossible. Family members were not allowed on the same team, so why were there three family members on the same team? Kakashi should have taken Sasuke because he was the only one who had the shanringan in Konoha. Many people swiveled around in their seats as if seeing Naruto for the first time. They were shocked to see a very handsome man that looked like the Yondaime Hokage sitting in the back seat in a very relaxed position next to Shikamaru. Many people did double takes as they looked at him. True to Shikamaru's word, many Sasuke fangirls had lust in their eyes while looking at Naruto. Naruto gulped nervously and put his head down while Shikamaru guffawed at his cousins predicament.

Of course Sakura had to add her two cents. "Sensei, why is Naruto-baka on my team? How did he pass in the first place, and his name?" Sakura was furious that she had two dead lasts on her team. They were doomed to fail now.

"Sakura...' Iruka started patiently. "Naruto's test was messed up so he never failed. As for why he is on your team, the teams were decided by Sandaime Sama, not me. I was also surprised by this. And his name, you will have to ask him your self."

Sakura shot a glare at Naruto who smiled pleasantly at her.

Team Eight: "Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata. Your sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai. Sasuke looked indifferent. He was happy that he didn't have fangirls on his team. Outside of her pitiful exterior, Hinata was fuming. **How dare they don't put me with MY Naruto-Kun, they will all pay CHA!" **Kiba on the other hand, was crying tears of pain while Ino comforted him. Why did he have to get stuck on a team which consisted of a boy incapable of saying two words, and a girl who no one could understand because of her enormous stutter.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in her seat in Heaven, Kami was cackling madly at the predicament of the poor boy. A gust of wind flew around her, making her hair wild. She looked like Medusa when she was PMSing. Her subordinates slowly inched away from her, hoping that she would calm down or else the second coming of the Kyuubi would happen.<p>

* * *

><p>Team Nine: "Aburame Shino, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji. Your sensei is Sarutobi Asuma" The three of them looked at each other and gave silent nods of approval.<p>

Naruto decided that some matters had to be put to rest. "Excuse me Iruka sensei," The entire class turned to face him. "If i'm not mistaken, family members are not allowed to be on the same team, so why are myself and Shikamaru, who are cousins, on it? Plus Kakashi..."

**Oi, Naruto, don't complain. At least you have two people on the team who love you. **Kyuubi decided that he had to be heard.

_That's true nii chan, i shouldn't complain. _

"Naruto, I can't answer that question. You have to ask the Hokage." Naruto nodded.

"Well then, wait for your senseis who should be there shortly." Iruka concluded.

Asuma and Kurenai entered the classroom. Kakashi was no where to be found. The two elite jonins turned to look at their two favorite genins. "Yo Naru chan, Shika chan, i'm sure both of you are surprised by the teams this year! Dad said that you would be" Asuma said.

"That's right Asuma nii chan. Jiji really did surprise us, didn't he Shika?" Shikamaru nodded.

The entire class was confused at the confrontation. How did Naruto and Shikamaru know this world renowned elite jonin? Of course some idiot just had to ask that. Kurenai responded, "Naru and Shika are like our baby brothers, we have been taking care of them since before they were born. Ne, Otoutos?"

"Tch, troublesome." The both of them replied and looked away in embarrassment. Asuma and Kurenai chuckled. The entire class was very confused at that moment.

"Team ten, you're with me."

"And Team eight, come with me."

Naruto and Shikamaru wished their friends luck. Soon, it was only Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru left in the room. Sakura was off in her own little world while Naruto and Shikamaru were playing an intense game of shogi.

"Check Shika."

"Not yet Naru...haha i blocked your check."

"Damn, ok...if i move my knight there then..."

After about two hours, Sakura was getting frustrated. "Gah! Where the hell is our sensei! What idiot can be two hours late to a meeting! And you two idiots, how can you play shogi for that long without someone winning? It just shows how retarded you are."

Naruto and Shikamaru sensed Kakashi hovering outside of the door. They would take people talking crap about themselves, but not their family. "Haruno San, there is a reason that Kakashi sensei is a jonin. I'm sure he has a good reason to be late. Or perhaps you would like to test his worth as a jonin?" Shikamaru asked the banshee in a deceptively calm voice.

As if on queue, Kakashi walked in the room with his usual eye smile. "Yo sorry I'm late, I got lost on the road of life!"

Sakura turned to Shikamaru and Naruto to ask them if that was a good reason, but to her surprise, the two Naras were accepting his excuse. It was like they had heard it so many times that they were used to it...

"You are absolutely right Kakashi sensei, I myself took a wrong turn on that road with Shikamaru and we somehow ended up in the Forest of Death. Odd isn't it." Naruto said.

Shikamaru and Kakashi nodded their consent.

Sakura stared at the three men in disbelief. It was official. Her team was retarded, and her precious Sasuke Kun couldn't save her now. But of course Sasuke kun was hers now. He had stolen her innocence with that kiss and he would make a woman out of her. She was determined of it even if she had to tie him down and force him to do so. Not once did she consider that this might be rape of any sort.

"Are all three of you insane!" She exclaimed. "How can anyone get lost on the road of life? What the hell is it anyway?" Naruto stared at the pink haired girl for many minutes.

"Haruno San, the road of life is the very road of our lives. It is the road that you and I walk on every day. We get lost on it fairly often. And yes, we are insane. Being ninjas automatically makes us so." Naruto told her.

It was then that Sakura really got a look at Naruto. He looked...hot and more mature. A dark blush rose upon her face.

"Naruto, why don't you call me Sakura chan anymore, I thought we were friends?"

Naruto scoffed. "Friends, Haruno San? Are we friends? As i recall, you would bash my head against the nearest wall every time i opened my mouth. Tell me, in what way, shape, or form does that make us friends? And as to why I call you Haruno San, it's because I will call my precious people by their first names. I do not know you Haruno San. In the past when i called you 'Sakura Chan', it was simply to rile you up. Now that we are shinobi and teammates, that useless banter can stop. You may call me whatever you would like as long as it is respectful. I will only call you Haruno San as will my cousin." He said gesturing to Shikamaru.

"Haruno San, can i ask you a question?" Naruto inquired. She nodded her head. "Why did you become a ninja? For what purpose?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. What was she supposed to say, she became a ninja for Sasuke's sake?

Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged glances with Kakashi.

Shikamaru sighed and said, "Haruno San, if you became a ninja for the sake of a person...more specifically a boy, then please give up being a ninja. This is not a game. We know that you come from a civilian family, but the rest of us do not. Our family members have died, some right before our eyes. All of us in this room have experience death in this room, but you have not. A ninja's life is difficult. The maximum age for an average ninja is thirty five. Some die younger and some die older. The three of us have come to the conclusion that you are not fit to be a ninja at this current moment. You are too thin, and you are on a diet. This is extremely harmful to the body. Please consider our words and change your ways, or they will be the death of you."

Sakura was close to tears at the moment. How could they have come to that conclusion without talking? Who the hell were these two deadlasts, to lecture her on being a shinobi? She was the number one kunoichi of the year for Kami's sake. They were at the bottom of the class.

"Who are you to tell me anything? You are just losers who are wanna be shinobis! I am the top kunoichi of the year! Even Ino-pig can't compare to me!"

Naruto looked at her with unrestrained contempt that made Sakura cringe. "Haruno San, rank means nothing. The only thing you know have is book smarts. And what exactly will you do with those? Bore your opponent to death with useless facts. In any physical exercise, you ranked at the bottom of the list. And Ino chan was told, as were we by our family not to stand out too much. Even her crush on Sasuke was fake in case you haven't noticed. Being rookie of the year or kunoichi of the year draws attention to yourself, and not the good kind. When you are ranked at the bottom of the class, nobody will care who you are because you are the supposed dead last. A ninja's greatest tool is deception, something Ino, myself, and Shikamaru have utilized to our full potential. Because of your previous actions and comments, myself and my cousin can only consider you a comrade, nothing more and nothing less. To gain our respect, you must work for it. Respect is not given, it is earned, even if you are the Hokage himself."

"Haruno san, the two boys are right. I looked over your file and the only thing you rank top in is tests. Anything else, and you are considered the dead last while these boys are top ranked. They are correct. Rank is only for show. The true test begins now. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Sakura was in turmoil. Even her sensei had told her off. And Ino...Ino never loved Sasuke Kun? That meant that there was one less person vying for his affections. He was all hers now! Her mind went back to what the three men said. She was useless in anything but book smarts. She would have to reconsider everything. When she looked up, her two teammates were gone. She dashed off to the roof, hoping her sensei didn't hold it against her if she was late.

When she arrived, she had a minute to spare. She sighed in relief and took a seat as far away from the three as possible.

Kakashi gave her a grim smile. "Haruno san, as i was telling the boys here, I wan't you to introduce yourself to the team. State your likes and dislikes as well."

Sakura said, "Sensei, you are the unknown person here. I am sure that neither of those two know you very well. So please go first." Oh how very wrong she was.

Kakashi sighed. "Very well, My name is Hatake Kakashi. My dislikes are my own and my likes...you are too young to hear that." Naruto made a coughing sound that sounded very similar to Anko, and Kakashi was grateful that his mask was in place or he would have looked like a blushing girl.

"You next pinky." Sakura growled at her nickname. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like reading and adding on to a certain collection of mine. My dream is to become a certain man's wife, his name I will not say. I dislike those who look down on me and Ino pig." She ended her rant with a fangirlish squeal.

The men sweatdropped at this. If it was not obvious that Sakura was a fangirl, it was now. She had just insulted all three of them, and they were hating her more by the minute.

Kakashi nodded. "You next Shikamaru."

"Tch, troublesome. My name is Nara Shikamaru. I like my family, tending to the deer, cloud gazing, friends, and surprisingly training. I dislike fangirls and anyone who disrespects my family." He gave a small glare to Sakura.

"Naruto, you next."

"Hai, My name is Nara Naruto. I concur with everything Shika said."

Kakashi gave a small eye smile.

"Well the three of you should know that the real genin test will begin tomorrow at six o'clock sharp. What you took today was simply a practice one. Out of the twenty four graduates, only nine will become genin. You only have a 66.66% chance of passing. I suggest you don't eat anything or else you will throw up. Ja-ne!" He disappeared in a swirl of leaves this time.

Sakura was horrified. She had done all that work for nothing! She looked at her two teammates, and to her surprise, they didn't look moved in the least bit.

"Why aren't you guys scared. We might not pass!"

Shikamaru said, "Haruno San, we come from a ninja family. We knew about this before. I believe that it is also written in one of the Ninja textbooks as well." With that he and Naruto vanished in a swirl of leaves as well.

Sakura stood on the roof in shock for a couple minutes. The shushin was a jonin level technique that was not taught until one was a chunin. How did the two dobes of the class know it? She ran all the way back to her home and cried for the rest of the day, not even looking at her Sasuke Shrine once.

* * *

><p>That night, Kakashi was strolling down the streets of Konoha, pleased by the warm breeze that propelled the delicious scents towards him. He suddenly turned around when a familiar smell assaulted his nose. It smelled like dango, flowers, and snake residue.<p>

"Anko." Kakashi breathed. She looked stunning, according to him. She ditched her usual fishnet shirt and trench coat for a casual civilian dress that revealed all her curves. In all of his twenty five years, he had never met a women as beautiful as Mitarashi Anko. Hopefully one day she would become Hatake Anko. He loved her, there was no denying it. The question was, did she love him?

"Konbanwa, Kaka kun." Anko said cheerfully. She loved the night life in Konoha. The villagers had gone inside, and only shinobi remained. No wonder she was happy. Being with Kakashi only deepened that feeling.

Kakashi cleared his throat nervously. He could read all the smut in the world, but he couldn't make two words in front of the woman he loved. What a failure. "S...so Anko, what brings you out here tonight?"

Anko beamed at him. "I was just taking a walk and I saw you. What say you and I go to the bar and have a drink or two." She raised her hands above her head and stretched. In doing so, Kakashi got a good look at her long, creamy legs. An unfamiliar sensation assaulted his nether regions.

Anko grabbed Kakashi's hand and sprinted down the street. They were very close to the bar when Kakashi felt like he was about to explode so he grabbed her around the waist and shushinned them to her apartment.

"Kaka...what's going on with you." Anko asked worriedly. Kakashi was looking very worn at the moment.

"Hey, are you okay? Do you want anything?"

Kakashi looked at her for a couple of minutes. She squirmed under his one eyed gaze. "What I want," he growled, "Is you." With that being said, he pinned her against the wall, pulled down his mask, and stared at her again.

She was mesmerized by his face. Aside from the scar running down his left eye, he was flawless. His angled face was just over her own. His lips were hovering inches from hers, and he looked primal, wolf like almost. It turned her on. His eyes, even his sharingan eye were darkened with lust. Anko was slightly frightened by this Kakashi.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" Anko asked again.

"Anko...I," What could Kakashi tell her, that he loved her and wanted to take her on the wall at that very moment?"

"Hey, Kaka, talk to me." She said stroking his face gently. Kakashi leaned into he touch, and that's when Anko smelt it. That was lust that was coming off of Kakashi. He wanted her?

Kakashi pushed off the wall and turned away from her, unable to look at he face. He was about to brutally take the woman that he loved without her consent. He was a monster.

Anko gently turned him around so he would look at her. She gave him a small peck on the cheek that made a raging fire burn in his belly. "Tell me, Kaka. Please."

At her urging, Kakashi bent his head to look at Anko. She was stunningly beautiful, that innocent expression made it more so.

He couldn't take it anymore. Once again he pinned her against the wall. His mouth latched on against hers in a frenzy, his tongue gently coaxing her mouth open.

Anko was in turmoil. This unfamiliar feeling was spreading throughout her, pooling together in her core, and she felt like she would lose control at any minute. She parted her mouth slightly and his tongue and hers were locked in a battle for dominance. She could NOT let that happen. She was Mitarashi Anko for crying out loud. No man (even if he was devastatingly handsome) was allowed to create a pile of mush out of her. She broke the kiss and heard his disappointed sigh.

"Anko," He began, "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened to me. I understand if you would like me to leave for taking advantage of you."

"Do you honestly think that you can leave after that, Kaka kun?" Anko asked sultrily.

"Wh..What?" he stammered. He wanted her so bad, and now maybe he would get his chance. But when Anko got that glint in her eye, something or someone was going to get hurt. And he had a sinking feeling that that someone was him.

"I feel so hot right now. And you are the one who made me feel this way." Quickly, she grabbed his hand and led he inside her bedroom door. The two stared at each other for a couple minutes.

"Kakashi, aren't you going to do something?"

"I thought you were first."

Anko sighed and sat down on her bed. "We're hopeless aren't we?" He looked at her quizzically. "We both want this, but we are just too afraid to start anything that might change our friendship."

Kakashi also sighed and flopped down on the bed. "Anko, to tell you the truth, I've wanted this for a long time. I don't know how much longer I can wait. I just need to know if you are ready. Repercussions be damned."

"How long is a long time?"

"Since a boy could start having wet dreams."

"Hn, that is a long time."

"Indeed it is."

Kakashi started to get up from the bed thinking it was hopeless, but was stopped by Anko's foot on his chest.

"Kaka, like I said before, we both want this, and no one is leaving until either one of us gets it. Do you understand?" She asked forcefully. Kakashi grinned a very Naruto like grin before he tackled her to the bed, kissing her roughly, leaving no corner of her mouth untouched. She tasted of sugar and dango, the exact opposite of her violent personality. He tasted like ramen and onigiri. It reminded her of Naruto.

One of Kakashi's hands pinned Anko's hands above her head while the other was slowly making its way down to he nether regions leaving a trail of goosebumps. She shivered and moaned against his mouth. Suddenly, he let her go.

"Anko," He said teasingly. You are wearing too many clothes. It's time to take them off." He reached over and pulled the zipper on the back of her dress down, running his fingers down her back as he did so.

"Hang on Kashi, I'll be naked just by one piece of clothing so I will have to help you take some clothes off." She pulled his shirt off, trailing her hands over the taut muscular flesh of his stomach. It was his turn to shiver now. Kakashi pulled off his pants, leaving him in only his boxers.

Anko lay on her bed in a very suggestive pose, wearing only her panties. Kakashi looked at her hungrily. Her breasts rose and fell as she breathed deeply. Slowly, he hooked a finger inside of her lace panties, pulling them down, inch by inch, agonizingly slow, just to torture her.

She was growing impatient. She wouldn't admit it, but she was a blushing virgin, okay maybe not a _blushing_ one, but a virgin all the same. He would soon find out.

Kakashi let out a small grin when his prize was revealed to him. He brushed the top of her sex with his fingers, earning a low moan of want from Anko. His groin tightened quickly, and a look of anticipation came over him.

There was one slight problem. Anko was naked and Kakashi was not. It bothered her severely. Anko forced herself upright, and viciously tore his boxers down so that he was revealing himself to her in all of his eight inch glory.

"There, now we are even. So where were you?" Anko asked cheekily. Kakashi smiled at her and quickly dipped two fingers inside of her quivering warmth, watching her writhe and squirm underneath him.

He pumped his fingers in and out, causing her wetness to grow to exponential levels. Kakashi smirked. He was going to bring her to the edge and stop. Before he could put that plan into action, Anko grabbed his hand and flipped them over so their positions were reversed. She grasped his length and gently pumped it, earning groans of pleasure from him. He reached up and pulled her face down towards his, where they met in a searing kiss.

"Anko!" Kakashi gasped. "I need you now. Forget foreplay, we'll do it next time. I _want_ to be in you now."

This time, Anko did blush as she was flipped over once again looking up into her soon to be lovers mismatched eyes. Kakashi was hovering over her with his knees in between her legs, his member poised at her entrance. She saw tender love in his eyes and she knew in that moment, that Kakashi would never hurt. So she would trust him completely.

"K...Kakashi." Anko stammered. "It's my first time, so please be gentle." Anko admitted with a blush that could rival Hinata's. Kakashi gave a small laugh. "Anko, I've never done this either, but I'll try my best."

With that being said he penetrated her barrier with a single forceful thrust. She gasped out in pain, tears spilling down her face. Gently, her caressed her face and kissed the tears away.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me, love." Kakashi whispered to her. Soon the pain began to die down and Anko gave a small nod of her head. Kakashi started moving in her gently at first, picking up speed as he was encouraged by her moans. She met him thrust for thrust. Both were lost in the throes of passion.

Thirty minutes later, he collapsed on top of her panting. "Thank Kami we are Ninja, the stamina is so useful for these types of activities."

The two rested for some time. Finally Anko spoke up. "Hey Kashi,"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a favorite scene from the Icha Icha books?"

He got an evil perverted grin on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"Hmmm, i was thinking we could try some ou...ooph!" Anko couldn't say any more as Kakashi got her ready for round two...then three...and eventually four.

That night, Anko's neighbors were traumatized by the sounds coming out of her bedroom. Who knew that the sweet and slightly sadistic interrogator was an absolute monster in bed. Needless to say, Maito Gai's flames of youth were temporarily stopped when he heard his friend moan his eternal rival's name VERY loudly, MANY times during the night.

"CURSE YOU KAKASHI! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO TRUMP ME IN_ EVERY_ CATEGORY!"

* * *

><p><strong>Nara Household, Day of Kakashi's test<strong>

It was roughly seven o'clock in the morning when both the boys woke up. Their cousin hadn't bothered coming home last night**, **so they ate breakfast in relative peace, just the two of them and the myriad of birds chirping happily outside.

"Shika, do you think Kaka nii will give us the infamous bell test?"

"I don't know Naru, it's obvious that he will test our teamwork somehow, but we know him too well for him to give us the bell test."

"Hn, that's true. Do you think we should leave now? Sakura will most likely be waiting at the training field. Kaka nii did tell her to come at six am sharp."

"She probably didn't eat breakfast either, the stupid girl. A smart ninja will go to the battlefield well fed and watered. The one who wants to die wouldn't**."**

"Oi, Shika. Let's just go to the training field and watch the clouds. Field seven has the nicest view of the sky."

Shikamaru, never one to pass on an opportunity to watch the clouds, willingly left with Naruto.

* * *

><p>As they arrived at training ground seven, they noticed a pink haired banshee fly their way with her fist raised high. Naruto and Shikamaru lazily sidestepped her attempted punch<strong>, <strong>which caused her to get even madder.

"YOU IDIOTS ARE LATE PLUS YOU WON'T STAND STILL TO LET ME PUNCH YOU!" Shikamaru and Naruto both sighed. They would have to beat it into the pink haired banshee just who was the idiot here.

"Haruno-San, how are we late when sensei hasn't arrived yet?" Shikamaru asked.

"Furthermore, do you really expect an opponent to stand still as you assault him? No. So why should we? Just because you are our teammate does not mean that you can do whatever you please to us." Naruto added. Both he and Shikamaru plopped down on the ground and began their cloud gazing while talking to each other about menial things.

Sakura's wrist fell limply to the her side. It was at this moment that she realized that Naruto would no longer be her punching bag. Naruto asking her for dates in the academy had been a great source of confidence, and now that confidence was gone. What was she to do?

Kakashi arrived two hours later at nine o'clock. "Yo sorry I was late, i woke up in the wrong bed this morning and it took me some time to return home."

"LIAR!" The pink haired demon screeched.

Kakashi was glowing. HE had the best night of his life and was waiting for the continuation of it tonight. Pages fifteen to twenty were covered from the first volume. Now it was time to try out the big boy stuff (Pages fifty three to seventy.) His great uncle was a genius!

Naruto looked at Shikamaru. "Somehow I don't think that was an excuse**.**" Shikamaru looked like he was going to be sick. Naruto looked slightly green himself.

"Ok team, time for your test!" Shikamaru and Naruto waited eagerly while Sakura was apprehensive. Their teacher was crazy, that was for sure. What tests could he possibly give them?

Kakashi dangled two bells in front of them and pulled out a timer. Shikamaru and Naruto sighed in disappointment. Same old Same old.

"You have till noon to get the bells from me, the person who doesn't will have to be sent back to the academy. DO you understand?" Kakashi looked pointedly at Sakura who gulped.

"Mendokuse." Shikamaru said.

Kakashi looked at his cousin with humor in his eyes, "Nani Shika-chan, do you have something to day?" Shikamaru grimaced at his nickname. "Tch, we know what this test is really about Kakashi _sensei_."

"Oh...' said Kakashi with fake thought. "And what would that be?"

"Teamwork." Naruto replied. "You only have two bells which means that we would be pitted against each other. It would never occur to any of us that you are a jonin and we are genin so we could never take you by our selves."

Kakashi looked at each of them with a critical eye. "Congratulations!** You Pass**!" Kakashi exclaimed with mock happiness. Sakura looked confused but was relieved that she had passed even though she didn't do anything. Shikamaru and Naruto both mumbled "troublesome" and plopped down on the grass again. This time Kakashi joined them. The three cousins gazed at the clouds with Sakura watched them with increasing rage.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAZY ASSES DOING WATCHING THE CLOUDS. WHY CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING PRODUCTIVE WITH YOUR DAY?"

Kakashi got up to brush the dirt off of his jonin vest. "Haruno san, i was observing the team yesterday after yesterdays meeting. You went home for two hours doing god knows what, then went off to chase Uchiha Sasuke. Is that what you call productive. These two here were training in their families dojo after the meeting. Although you are from a civilian family, it was your choice to become a ninja. Either act like one or leave this team now."

Shikamaru and Naruto were both proud of their cousin for making the pink haired one look like an absolute moron. Kakashi never really observed Sakura, he was simply guessing. But the look on her face told all. It was true.

Sakura tried to make a futile comeback. "Well, Naruto isn't from a Ninja clan either." All three of them looked at her like she was stupid.

"Haruno San, my name is NARA Naruto. I _am _from a Ninja clan. My entire family are ninja. I am Shikamaru's biological cousin. I have the Nara bloodline as well. You asked about my name yesterday. Uzumaki was my mother's last name. Nara is my father's, even if he didn't take the name. My father was Shikamaru's dad's brother. I have many more relations, but do not wish to tell you any. Good day, Haruno San." With that Naruto and Shikamaru left.

Kakashi gave Sakura a frightening look. "Get your facts straight before you say something. Think before you act. And also, start training. You need to more than the others. Your physical conditioning is weak, and is disgraceful to kunoichi everywhere." Kakashi left in a swirl of leaves.

Sakura was left in the field dumbfounded as to what had happened.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Shikamaru found Kakashi at the ramen stall. "Yo." He raised his hand lazily.<p>

"Okay, nii chan. Why did you give us the bell test? We knew about that so long ago." Shikamaru asked.

"To tell you the truth, it would have been too _troublesome_ to give you another test." Kakashi replied. Naruto and Shikamaru sweatdropped at that response. _So that's what we sound like when we say troublesome."_

"Understandable, but what about that excuse this morning?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi blushed. How could he tell his kawaii pure cousins that he had done sinful acts with a sexy kunoichi named Mitarashi Anko?

"Hmm, you say something?" And with that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Anko?" It was more a statement than a question.

"Anko." Shikamaru agreed definitively.

Teuchi broke them out of their thoughts. "Yo boys, what will it be today?"

"Two bowls miso ramen please old man!" Naruto said.

"One bowl of beef ramen for me." Shikamaru said.

After they had finished their meal, the cousins took a stroll through town where Naruto was attracting attention from the civilians that he hadn't gotten before. The civilians were doing double takes as they wondered why the Yondaime Hokage was back in his chibi form. The girls had hearts in their eyes for the two boys.

**Yo Naruto.**

_Nani, Kyuu Nii?_

**I'm bored.**

_Too bad._

**Entertain me.**

_Hell no._

**Hey, it was worth a try at least. Anyway, we have to get your training with Kitsune-Ken started. Tell Shikamaru that he will be learning this as well. **

_Will do boss. When will training begin?_

**Two weeks from now.**

_Alright Nii Chan. Go to sleep now_

**Will do kiddo. **

"Oi, Shika."

"Yeah Naru."

"The both of us are going to be learning Kitsune-Ken from Kyuu Nii in two weeks. It will help us tremendously in the future. Is that alright?"

"It's troublesome, but if he says it's necessary then yes, I'll do it."

"Great, now let's go home. Yoshino Baa Chan made our favorite dinner tonight."

"Naruto, it's only ten thirty in the morning."

"Is it now? Well oops. YOSH let's go train!"

_Tch, sometimes he's a Nara and sometimes he's an Uzumaki. Naruto you are one troublesome cousin."_

* * *

><p>As Naruto and Shikamaru spent their day happily in Konoha, two forces of darkness were going to destroy the peace that Konoha had twelve years after the Nine Tailed attack. Orochimaru and Madara Uchiha would soon come to know that when you fuck with Konoha, Nara Naruto and Nara Shikamaru would fuck with you right back.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So this Chapter focused on Naruto and Shikamaru's intelligence among other things. Hopefully, I can write some good battle scenes for the two of them soon.<strong>


	3. Journey to Wave

**Yo Minna! Thanks for reviewing my story! I really appreciate it. Now, pressing issues have to be acknowledged. I've decided that Haku and Zabuza are going be related to Naruto as well, through the Uzumaki Clan. I read several Fan-Fics like that and decided that it would be cool. I know that it sounds like Naruto has a ridiculous family, but hey, no one has really ever done it before. Haku will live for obvious reasons, and so will Zabuza. The wave arc will be slightly different. It will give Naruto and Shikamaru a chance to show their true strength. Also, a couple of you wondered about the Hinata bashing. I wanted to know if you wanted it or not? It's fine either way. I've read way too many Naru/Hina fics, and a change was needed. So send me a message regarding that topic and I will get to it:) Ja, ikimasho!**

**I Do NOT own Naruto. Just saying.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Team seven had been active for about two weeks now, and Shikamaru and Naruto were at their wits' end. The pink haired one had not done one single thing in helping them. The most she did was lift a box here and there, or paint a fence. The Sandaime and Kakashi had noticed this, and cut her pay in half, dividing the rest of between the three of them. Not that she noticed anyway.<p>

The missions were troublesome, to say the least. Cleaning the Inuzuka Kennels or mucking manure out of a nearby farm to catching the demon cat Tora, the boys were simply not being challenged enough. However, doing these missions did have a bright side. Many civilians were beginning to warm up to Naruto. At first, when they saw the 'demon-child' walk through their gates ready to work, they thought he would grow nine tails and have bright red eyed, and destroy everything in his path. But when they actually spent time with him and saw him working, they couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed that they had ostracized a boy who had a heart as pure as an angel. Every civilian family that he met had taken an immediate liking to him. Originally, when word had spread that Naruto was actually a Nara and even had the bloodline, a silent uproar had been made by some civilians. However they were then told off by their friends, most who had the same mentality that they had now. The civilians decided to give the boy a chance.

It was small, but it was a start nonetheless. Naruto was starting to get some waves and smiles in the street from the civilian population. He and Shikamaru were absolute naturals with children and were payed double in the babysitting missions. Unknowingly to the both of them, many women had seen this and set up their own fanclub for the two handsome boys. They had made a pact to get in the boys' pants so that they would have little Narutos and Shikamarus running around. Unbeknownst to anyone, two girls, one in Sunagakure, the other on the outskirts of Wave country were the only two who would have the pleasure of bearing the Nara cousins' kids. Of course this doesn't happen till much later in the story, so don't expect the boys to be jumping the girls' bones the second they see each other.

The civilian girls thought of both as the strong and silent type, exactly like Hatake Kakashi, but with varying hair colors. Where ever Kakashi, Naruto, and Shikamaru went, girls followed them with hearts in their eyes. The situation was quickly becoming too troublesome for all three of the men. The cousins traveled on rooftops while reporting for missions, with Sakura lagging behind.

Speaking of Sakura, her days as a Kunoichi were getting worse and worse. She remembered when she had a chat with Ino three days ago.

**Flashback-Yamanaka Store **

The door to the Yamanaka florist shop jingled as a new customer walked in.

Ino's head popped up from behind the desk. "Welcome to Yamanaka Florists. How can we..." She tapered off as she saw who it was in front of the counter.

Sakura smiled nervously at her once best friend. "Hi Ino, can we talk?" Ino gave her an indifferent look that reminded her of Shikamaru when he looked at her. "About what?" Ino asked.

Sakura laughed, "Oh you know, the normal. Boys, the latest hairstyles, etc."

Ino let out a cold chuckle herself. "I would love to Sakura...' Sakura looked happy to have her friend back. "If I was a civilian." Ino finished.

Sakura looked startled. "What?"

"Sakura San. We are kunoichi now. We have no time to worry about the petty things in life such as 'boys' or other materialistic things. We are now trained to be killers in order to uphold our country's honor. Now, let's compare me and you shall we Sakura san?"

Sakura nodded dumbly. She was too much in shock to comprehend much.

"Sakura San, let's start with the clothes. Look at me and look at you. What do you see?"

"Um, you're wearing dark colors, like navy blue and black, like Naruto. And I'm wearing...pink." Sakura looked crestfallen. Her once friend had ditched the purple attire to a standard chunin attire without the jacket.

"Exactly. I am wearing clothes that will help me blend easily in the background. You stand out like a sore thumb. Now our hair. Remember how I used to have waist length hair?" Sakura nodded. "Well, I cut it off." Sakura looked horrified. It was tied up in a tight bun so Sakura couldn't see it before, but just now Ino had let it down so that it was only barely passed her shoulders.

"But Ino, you loved that hair. How could you cut it off?"

Ino gave her a look. "Because long hair is a hassle. Name one kunoichi you know that fights with their hair down. None. Except you. Furthermore, I could smell you as you walked in the room. I thought you were a civilian till I saw your face. No self respecting Kunoichi wears perfume or uses scented soaps. It can reveal your identity to your enemy, leading to your death. Moving on, you are too skinny. Eating is the right thing to do, not starving yourself to death."

"But Ino," Sakura protested. " I want to look and smell good!. I won't stay in shape unless I don't eat. You know that! "

"Sakura, if you train regularly then it won't matter what you eat! How do you think Naruto eats all that food and never gains a pound? I eat quite a bit myself. Starving my self is stupid, and it will only harm you in the long run." Ino's mouth twisted upward in a cruel smile. "But of course you don't train do you? No wonder you are so weak. Naruto and Shikamaru have to pick up all the slack where you let it go. I looked at the mission reports with dad. You do no work and still get paid. How in HELL's name is that fair to Naru and Shika? Those two are some of my oldest friends. I will not let you slander their team's name!"

Sakura felt the rage coming off of Ino and cowered. She tried to put up a tough front. "Naruto and Shikamaru! That's all I hear these days. 'Have you heard about the Naruto and Shikamaru?' 'Those two boys are the future of Konoha.' 'They''re bringing good fortune to the Nara Clan.' 'If either becomes Hokage, I will follow them to the ends of the earth!' Why? It's always about them. No one seems to give a damn about me!" Sakura shouted, on the verge of tears.

Ino grew very quiet. "Has it ever occurred to you, that they did something to earn the villagers' trust? I'm sure Naru or Shika has told you, 'Respect is earned, not given.' They are not who they seem to be, remember that. Those two boys _are _the future of Konoha, and so are we. I am a kunoichi and I will stand to protect my Village even if I die! SO stop acting like a spoiled brat and get your act together! People will start to respect you if you actually do any work!"

Sakura looked crestfallen. "No one respects me?" She asked in a small voice.

Ino's tone softened. "I'm sorry Sakura, but this is the truth. There is a reason that Naru and Shika are trusted. They go above and beyond. That's the reason why they are respected. That family, The Nara family is extremely connected. Naruto and Shikamaru are related to many important people in this village. But that's not why Shika and Naru have a great rep. Family can only get you so far. Look at Uchiha Sasuke. Just because he is the last _Uchiha_ he thinks he can do anything. He hasn't even awakened the sharingan yet for crying out loud! Only then will he be useful to the village. Naru and Shika have been holding out on the world a lot. They have many secrets, the pair of them. If they think that they can trust you, they will tell you. Otherwise, Naruto and Shikamaru keep to themselves and their friends. Look Sakura, the reason why I am telling you this is because do you know how vulnerable an untrained kunoichi is?"

"No." Sakura was quite miffed about what Ino said about Sasuke.

"A kunoichi has a one in two chance of being raped or assaulted during a mission." Ino stated grimly.

Sakura gasped. She had never known that. Her head dropped down. This was not a subject that academy teachers willingly discussed with students after all.

After some time, she looked back at Ino. "Ino...thanks. You've given me a lot to think about. I'm going home now. I'll see you around."

Sakura left the store hurriedly, so no one would see her tears.

Ino stared at her former friend's retreating figure. "Sadly Sakura, I'm not sure if you will take what I said seriously."

**Flashback Kai**

Sakura stared out the window of her house. It was raining heavily, as if matching her desolate mood. The talk with Ino that she had three days ago hadn't left her mind. Was she really useless? Now that she thought about it, everything that had been said about her was true. On their first mission as a team which was to clean the Inuzuka Kennels, she refused to lead the dogs out of the kennel because they were too dirty for her liking. She let her teammates do the work, and took some credit for herself. She really was a bitch wasn't she?

Her own teammates disliked her and only put up with her at the insistence of their Sensei. They were indifferent at most. Something had to change and fast, otherwise team seven would fail miserably.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day...<strong>Team seven stood in the Hokage's office waiting patiently for their next mission.

Iruka and some other chunins were reviewing missions suitable for genin teams.

"Hokage Sama, it appears that we are all out of missions for the day. Team seven has a day off." Iruka stated.

"Hmm, is that so? Very well then. Team seven, report back tomorrow at this same time to receive another mission. Is that clear?"

A shout of "Hai!" Was heard from the four members.

"Naru chan, Shika chan, Shikaku wants to talk to the both of you concerning upcoming Clan events, please go to him right now." Hiruzen said.

"Hai, Hai, jiji." Shikamaru said casually. Naruto gave a lazy eye smile and both left in a swirl of wind.

"What is that now, four shushins that they have?" Hiruzen asked Kakashi.

"Eh, no. They have one more which they call a dynamic shushin, where they come in together. Now that one is _very_ cool. Perhaps one day they will show it to you." Kakashi replied. He too shushined away, eager to spend the day with Anko.

Hiruzen peered at the remaining member of team seven under the brim of her hat. Perhaps it was unfair placing her with two boys who could qualify for chunin rank if they tried. "Haruno San, it's best if you get going as well. Tomorrow will likely be a lot of grueling missions."

"Hai, Hokage Sama!" She quickly marched out of the room. Sakura noticed the different tones that the Sandaime used while talking to the boys compared to her. It seemed as though the Hokage had known Naruto and Shikamaru for ages. How was it that the two supposed dobes of the Academy knew all these high ranking people. Even her own sensei knew how many different types of freakin' _shushin_ they had. Argh! It was so confusing. But now it was time for her favorite game...Sasuke hunting. The words that Ino had spoken to her, and the thoughts that she had herself had evaporated.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later a high pitched girly scream was heard from the local onsen (hot spring) when Sasuke realized it was mixed bathing day, and Sakura was trying to cop a feel right next to him.<p>

Kami was laughing from her throne in heaven. The raven haired boy would play a great role in the grand scheme of things. She didn't know if it would be good or bad yet. She would call on her daughter Fate for that. But as long as he had that duck-butt hair style, the boy's future would be very, very, bleak.

* * *

><p>Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk, savoring the free time that he had by reading his pupil's best selling 'novels.' His free (nosebleed) time was interrupted by a tapping on his window. A messenger hawk was perched on the window sill, trying to claw its way in. Wearily, he opened the window and untied the message that was tied to the leg of the hawk.<p>

**Dad,**

**That C-Rank mission that you sent us on was not a C-Rank at all. We were attacked by the Demon Brothers Gozu and Mezu. If they are around, that means many more High Ranking Nin will be here as well. Please send us backup ASAP. We are about an hour out of Konoha headed to Wave Country. If backup gets here within half an hour, everything should be okay.**

**Asuma.**

Sarutobi sighed. He had sent his son's team on a C-Rank mission just hours previously because he though the team was ready. Now it was at least an A-Rank mission. This was all so troublesome. _I've been spending time with the Nara Clan for far too long. They are rubbing off on me, _The Sandaime thought with a sweatdrop. So much for his porn-reading afternoon.

He snapped his fingers and an ANBU with a boar mask appeared. "Bring me Hatake Kakashi, Nara Naruto, and Nara Shikamaru now."

"Hai!"

* * *

><p>Shikamaru and Naruto were seated in their clan's dojo in front of Yoshino and Shikaku.<p>

"Now boys, you know that the reason that the Sandaime told you that we needed to speak to you was fake, right?"

"Hai." Both boys said monotonously.

"Do you know the real reason why you are here?" Yoshino inquired.

"Yes, we will be learning the next part of our bloodline, the part after **Kage Mane** and **Kage Nui.**" Shikamaru said.

"Very good. Now listen, our bloodline controls shadows. This is in a figurative and literal sense. For example, did you know that Naruto, your dad's mother could control the shadows of human emotions?"

Two pairs of eyes widened at this. "What!, but that's impossible! Grandmother wasn't even a full Nara. She was only half!"

"Naruto, your grandmother was my dad's relative. Marriages in those days were very direct, and after my mom died, her cousin, your grandmother married dad. I was only a year old at the time. Shortly afterward, your dad was born. Imagine the surprise of the Nara clan elders when a blond chibi was running all over the house naked everyday. You and Shikamaru both are descendant from the main Nara branch. This technique is very hard to master, and Yoshino is better at it than myself."

"So we really can control the shadows of human emotions?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Precisely, in essence, you are controlling the human mind with it."

"What is it called?" Shikamaru asked.

"It has many names." Yoshino answered. "But the most fitting one is **Naibu Kage ketsugō-hō no jutsu**. (Inner Shadow binding technique)

**Kit, I've heard of that technique. Once mastered, the user virtually can control someone by their emotions. They can play at your worst fears or greatest joys. You and Shika have to master it alright?**

_But isn't that psychological warfare?_

**No because this is all non-verbal.**

_Hmm, interesting. Shika and I will ask you for some help with this since you seem familiar with the technique. This way you can get some freedom and we can get the aid we need. Is that okay with you?  
><em>

**Not a problem, by the way, you have a guest coming soon. **

"Baa-Chan, we would ask you to demonstrate, but a visitor is going to show up, ne Shika?"

"Sou-da. ANBU, by the feel of his chakra supression skills."

As if on queue, the boar-masked ANBU appeared. No puff of smoke, no nothing. He just, fell from the sky.

"Nara Shikamaru, Nara Naruto. Sandaime-Sama has asked you to pack for a mission and report to the Northern gates in fifteen minutes. Hatake Kakashi will meet you there."

"Arigato Tenzo san." Naruto said.

The man named Tenzo sighed. "Naruto, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"Hmm, did you say something?" Naruto asked.

"Damn Kakashi clone." Tenzo left the room to the sound of the four Naras laughing at his poor predicament.

* * *

><p>Hatake Kakashi was not a happy man. He had been VERY rudely been disturbed from his time with Anko, and was more pissy than a woman in that time of month. He waited impatiently for his two wayward cousins to arrive so they could get this mission over with. Anko and him needed their alone time. His ire only grew as he saw his third student, Haruno Sakura approach him.<p>

"Good morning sensei."

"Morning Sakura." Kakashi replied gruffly.

"Lovely day isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is. One could be spending it with those who he loves but no, something _just has to come up!_".

Sakura sweatdropped at her sensei's current plight.

"Yo, Kaka N...Kakashi sensei." Naruto quickly corrected himself as he arrived at the Northern gate with Shikamaru.

"Naruto, Shikamaru ready to head out?" Kakashi was answered by two nodding heads.

Sakura was confused. Wasn't it their day off? Where were they going?

"Ano, sensei, where are the three of you going?"

"We have a mission to go on. Sandaime Sama's orders. We might not be back for several days."

"Why wasn't I informed about it? We are a team after all."

The three cousins looked at each other uneasily. "Haruno san, this mission is a little beyond your experience level. It is only for the three of us. Sandaime's orders.**" **Kakashi stated shakily. As much as she was useless, she was still a teammate and didn't deserve to be left in the dark.

"O..O..Okay then. Good luck i guess." Sakura turned on her heel and sprinted away.

"We should probably explain everything to her when we get back shouldn't we?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, yes we should." Naruto replied.

"But now we have to be going. Team ten is waiting for us. Head out!" Kakashi ordered.

"Hai!" And the three of the disappeared into the forest.

Unknown to them, Sakura hid in a nearby alley, listening to what they had to say. What more could they possibly explain to her? It was time to have a talk with the Sandaime.

* * *

><p>Kakashi and the boys arrived at team ten's location in a little over half an hour. Asuma was casually leaned against a tree. Ino, and Chouji sat on the ground. Shino sat slightly farther away from them, talking with his Kikaichu beetles. The client stood at a distance from all of them, seemingly zoned out.<p>

Suddenly, Shino spoke up, "Asuma sensei, we have company." Team ten tensed, waiting for a sudden attack.

A voice was heard nearby, making them all jump. "Maa, Maa, minna. We were sent here as back up for you, ya know. It's not a good idea to attack us."

Kakashi jumped out of the forest surrounding team ten and gave them his customary two finger salute. "Yo."

"Yo." Shikamaru and Naruto said, appearing out of the forest as well.

"Naru, Shika!" Ino exclaimed with delight. She hadn't seen her friends for a long time and was extremely happy for them to be on this mission as well. Chouji was grinning ear to ear. Shino was silently wondering why the 'dobes' were sent as backup.

"Ne, where's Sakura?" Chouji asked.

The three cousins looked at each other. "Listen guys, this mission has been upgraded to an A-Rank mission. Jiji decided that Sakura wasn't ready for it. No offense to her, but she is nothing more than a civilian with her chakra unlocked." Naruto told them.

"Pardon me Naruto San, but who is your 'jiji' who decided that Sakura was unfit for the mission." Shino asked, not meaning to be disrespectful.

Naruto looked at Shino with a twinkle in his eye. "Our, mine and Shikamaru's jiji, is the Hokage."

Shino raised his eyebrows but said nothing and simple nodded.

Kakashi turned to the client. "I assume you are Tazuna San, our client?" The man nodded. "We have agreed to take this mission rather than leave Wave country to rot, and once Wave gets back on its feet, we expect the money for this mission in full."

The man named Tazuna smiled a wide grin and nodded once more.

"This is a bad mission for three green genin to go on. I got Gozu and Mezu, but not doubt more will come. They've been hired by some man named Gato from The Gato Shipping Empire." Asuma commented.

"Hang on, _three _green genin? Naruto and Shikamaru are here too." Ino said.

"Yes well, they are not as green as you think them to be Ino." Kakashi told her sheepishly. The three genin stared at their 'dead last' classmates in awe. Even though Chouji and Ino knew what they were capable of, they did not know _how _good.

Naruto and Shikamaru gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of their heads.

Ino and Chouji laughed at their friends' embarrassed plight. Yep, no matter how strong they were, they were still the same old Naru and Shika to them.

Asuma broke everyone's thoughts. "Alright then, let's set out. We have a long way ahead of us!"

"Hai!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Konoha Sakura had called a meeting with the Sandaime. She wanted to know exactly why she didn't go on that mission. They were a team, no matter their shortcomings (or hers).<p>

Sakura found herself sitting in front of the kindly old man who was known as the "God of All Shinobi."

Sarutobi inwardly sighed. He knew why she was here. She must have seen Naruto and Shikamaru leaving with Kakashi.

"Sakura San, may I ask why you requested to meet with me on such short notice."

"With no disrespect sir, you seem to let Naruto and Shikamaru come here whenever they want without anyone saying anything. What is so special about them that is not about me sir? We are just genin afterall."

Sarutobi knew she had a point. He couldn't just tell her that those two came here to help him on mission reports and such. Shikamaru and Naruto had told him that they would only show their strength little by little until they became chunin. It would not be good to arouse suspicion amongst any opposing nations.

"Shikamaru and Naruto are...different. I have known them since they were small and we are quite close, like a grandfather would be to his grandchildren. Forgive me if it seems that I am favoring them."

"Yes, Sandaime Sama, I believe you are favoring them." Sakura said feeling a bit put off that the Sandaime was so close to those two.

"Oh, how so?"

"Well, I met Kakashi Sensei earlier today and him, Shikamaru, and Naruto were departing on a mission. I asked why, when it was our day off, and they told me it was on your orders. Would you please tell me why they are going on a mission and I am not?" She was becoming a little hysterical at the moment.

The wizened old Hokage rubbed his temples. The pineapple boy, ramen freak, and porn lover could cause him so much so much trouble without even being her...troublesome.

"Sakura, have your teammates explained anything to you?"

Sakura shook her head. "But they did say that they would explain some things to me once they got back from the mission. We are teammates and therefore should not be keeping things from each other."

"Sakura, we are also shinobi and it is our job to deceive. Tell me, what were your first impressions of Naruto and Shikamaru?"

Sakura adopted her thinking pose. "Well, Naruto was brash and obnoxious. He disgusted me. Shikamaru was lazy to a fault. Both showed absolutely no potential what so ever."

"And now?"

Sakura hesitated. "They seem changed I suppose. Naruto even looks different than before, taller and more mature." She almost added good looking, but then she would have to consider herself a traitor to her "Love Sasuke and Sasuke Only" movement. "Shikamaru seems even more relaxed if that is possible. The two of them and Kakashi Sensei get along very well. I seem to think that sensei is very relaxed in their presence. Their skills have also improved. I'm starting to wonder if Kakashi is teaching them separately."

"I assure you, he is doing none of that. I am disappointed in them that they have not told you yet though. You are their teammate, no matter your differences. The truth is, Naruto and Shikamaru are not supposed to be genin."

Sakura inwardly danced with joy. She knew that the two dobes had no potential and were getting kicked off the team.

"They are supposed to be elite chunins." Sarutobi finished.

Sakura's entire world came crashing down.

"WHAT!" She screeched. The Sandaime winced as he delicately nursed his old ears.

"It is the truth Sakura. On my orders, Naruto and Shikamaru have been hiding their relation to one another, their skills, and their potential ever since they entered the Academy. You heard about how your teacher Mizuki died?"

"You don't mean..."

"Yes, Naruto purposely failed the exam in order to lure Mizuki out. Mizuki was planning to betray the village so Naruto killed him. I suggested to Naruto that he and Shikamaru take on the rank of Chunin, however Naruto said that him and his cousin being promoted would raise too many questions as well as change team dynamics. You would be the odd one left out. So in a sense, they became genin for your sake. The mission they are on right now is very dangerous and you would die should I have sent you out on the field."

Sakura felt very small at the moment. She didn't know what to say. She was confused, angry, and slightly jealous.

The Sandaime sighed. "Look Sakura, you are one of my shinobi, and as your leader I must tell you something. Either get your act together or stop being a kunoichi. Before you say anything, ask yourself, have you trained outside of the academy?"

Sasuke stalking actually helped improve stealth, but she refrained from saying that. "I...I...no." She admitted feebly.

"Not even after Kakashi asked you to the day of your first team meeting/exam?"

"No sir. Training...is not something I enjoy very much.

Sarutobi analyzed the girl in front of him. No respectably kunoichi didn't train. "Very well then. I have no choice."

_Have no choice in what?_

"Haruno Sakura, as of now you. no longer are a part of team seven. Based on all of the mission reports as well as eye witness accounts from clients, you did none to minimal work, leaving everything to your teammates. You never once have taken an active part in training outside of team practices, and you have only brought your team down. Forgive me for doing this to you. But you have brought this upon yourself. As of now, you will simply be a drifting genin, filling in the place of those team's who need an extra member. I know for a fact that Kakashi gave you taijutsu scrolls and asked you to improve upon your skills using it. I also know that you have ignored that. From now on you will be doing mandatory training practices under the supervision of a chunin. If in the next two months you do not show improvement, then I will be forced to take you off the shinobi squad. Am I clear?"

And that's when her world imploded. She was shell shocked. She had no sensei, no teammates, and no friends. She didn't train and her body was not used to the physical strain that shinobi missions demanded. It was then she understood just how much work her teammates did. They allowed her to do whatever she wanted, and she didn't have to face the repercussions, until now. _Karma is a bitch._

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Am I clear?" Sakura looked up into the Sandaime's face. She recoiled when she saw him. The normally kind man's face was laden with revolt, revolt against her. He was disgusted against her.

"H...h...ha...hai." She managed to squeak out.

"Very well, you are dismissed now."

She basically sprinted out of the room.

This measure was a harsh one, but effective. Naruto and Shikamaru had the mission to scope out this village's true potential, and she did not make their list.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the two genin teams and the client had been walking relatively peacefully for an hour or so.<p>

Naruto and Shikamaru were on constant alert. With their primary element being wind, they were able to pick up small distortions in the air waves.

Kakashi noticed the irritated twitch of his cousins.

_Naruto, Shikamaru, is everything alright?_ Kakashi signed using subtle hand motions that Asuma also saw.

_Something is coming, we just can't sense it yet. _Naruto signed back.

Kakashi nodded to Asuma, and quickly made a Kage Bunshin to scout the area in front of them.

Suddenly, Shikamaru tensed. He flicked a kunai 38 degrees to his right.

All the genin except for Naruto were confused at this.

"Shika, why'd you do that?" Ino asked him

"I thought I felt something in the forest."

Naruto went to investigate and came back holding a dead rabbit whose fur was snow white.

_White, wait, that means..._

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Naruto, Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Asuma yelled at the same time.

Shino and Chouji grabbed Tazuna and Ino respectively and pulled them down to the hard ground.

All of a sudden, a long, butcher knife like sword came hurtling above them. It was a sword that was feared and recognized throughout the elemental nations. Kubikiri Houcho lay embedded high in the trunk of a tree with a man who looked as frightening as the devil himself.

Momochi Zabuza took in the scene in front of him. He had been hired by Gato to kill the old bridge builder, and was being paid a handsome amount of money for it. How hard could it be to assassinate one measly old man who had five chibis and two jonins protecting them. Just in case though, Haku was positioned in the nearby forest, waiting to launch a surprise attack.

Hang on, recognized something about two of the chibis. They looked very, very familiar.

Zabuza took out his bingo book and flipped through it, looking at some of the newest entries.

Two people that looked exactly like those two chibis showed up.

**Nara Shikamaru: Age twelve**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**Rank: Genin, as of October 28th**

**Skill level: High B-Low A. Unnatural ability to control wind, very dangerous. He has the Nara bloodline. Weak genjutsu, strong taijutsu. Do NOT engage with just ninjutsu.  
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**Nara Shikamaru is wanted by Kumo for thwarting the attempt of a kidnapping on Hyuuga Hanabi when he was eight. He and Nara Naruto other killed all twenty seven members of the assault squad four years ago from this year. Cousin to Nara Naruto (see next page.)  
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**Capture alive and deliver to Raikage.**

**Bounty: 500,000 Ryo  
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Impressive chibi he was. Zabuza was quite impressed. Now on to the next one.

**Nara (formerly Uzumaki) Naruto **

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**Rank: Genin, as of October 28th**

**Skill level: High B to Mid A. Possesses the same abilities as Nara Shikamaru, including the affinity to wind and Nara Bloodline. Additionally, can take on a feral appearance when accessing a strange red chakra that is volatile to the recipient of any jutsus created while using the red chakra.  
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**Nara Naruto is wanted in Iwa and Kumo. Kumo wants him and Nara Shikamaru for killing off all of the twenty seven members of the assault squad four years ago from this year. Iwa wants him because of his uncanny resemblance to the Yondaime Hokage as well as because he killed three members from Iwa ANBU a year ago in an attack. He is known as the Nidaime Kiroii Senko.  
><strong>

**Capture alive and deliver to Raikage.**

**Capture dead or alive and deliver to Tsuchikage.**

****Bounty: 1,000,000 Ryo **  
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***The Two Naras together are called the Densetsu Kaze Kage no Kyodai. **(The great wind shadow brothers)** Together they have a high A rank bounty of 5,000,000 ryo.  
><strong>

Oh ho, another impressive chibi. But the name Uzumaki, that was a surprise. All the Uzumakis were said to have been wiped out in the Nine-Tailed attack on Konoha twelve years ago. Interesting. It would be a shame to kill them, but their bounties were too nice to ignore.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Shikamaru felt the disturbance in the wind and sensed the man who was staring down at them. He was poised to attack, but did not so it was safe to say that he was assessing their abilities and so on.<p>

"Come out Momochi Zabuza. You gave yourself away when you threw the Kubikiri Houcho like that!" Shikamaru yelled in a very un Naraish voice. This was the voice that Uchiha Sasuke might have when he was excited by an opponent.

The remaining genin excluding Naruto looked on in fright as the man named as Momochi Zabuza appeared in front of them.

The man looked like a beast. His mouth was covered up with a white cloth that wrapped around the back of his head. His hair, spiking upwards, much like Kakashi's but as dark as the night. He wore a sleeveless vest with no shirt inside-going for the 'badass' look. The Demon of the Mist had met the Demon of Konoha.

Zabuza looked at the two twelve year old boys and couldn't help but be impressed. Both had laid off the lazy persona that they had before and adopted an extremely serious demeanor. They were poised to fight, and kill. The blonde, the Uzumaki looked like the younger clone of the Yondaime Hokage, a man who Zabuza had admired thoroughly. The brunette, was the son of the head of the Nara clan, and the blonde's cousin. The boy's had the same facial structure of the other man next to them, one Zabuza noticed as Hatake Kakashi, the Copy-Nin. Next to Hatake stood the son of the Sandaime Hokage himself, Sarutobi Asuma-once guardian of the fire temple.

Zabuza had hit the jackpot with his prey. The other three chibis were expendable. He didn't care if they lived or died. All he wanted was a good fight.

Zabuza turned his head to Shikamaru and Naruto. "Nara Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, nice to meet you in person."

The two boys stiffened. "How do you know our names?" Naruto called to the ex-kiri nin.

"What, you boys don't know? You're in the Bingo Books. If captured together you have a bounty of 5 million Ryo!"

All jaws dropped at this. What? Since When?

"What exactly have we done to have bounties over our heads?" Shikamaru asked, heavily curious.

Zabuza looked incredulous. They didn't even know that they were wanted men (kids)?

"You killed twenty seven kumo nin together four years ago, and the blond killed three Iwa nin. Both countries want you dead. I believe that you two are the youngest ninjas in the book you know."

The cousins bowed their heads sheepishly. "Aw shucks Zabu-Chan, thanks for that that." Naruto grinned. Haku looked at Naruto with jealousy from her hiding place. She was never allowed to call her father anything but 'father.' And this boy could call him 'Zabu-Chan.' No fair.

Zabuza sweatdropped. _He may be a Nara, but that was definitely his Uzumaki side coming out._

The genin and Tazuna were shocked. The two of them combined had killed thirty people, the majority when they were only eight years old.

Kakashi took up a protective stance covering his cousins. "Momochi Zabuza, if you are here to kill our client, please reconsider or we will kill you."

"Sharingan no Kakashi. Go fuck yourself in a hole man. You are not important, all I have to do is kill the old man and all of us can leave."

Kakashi was more than a bit miffed that the nuke-nin had blown him off so easily. _"_We can't let you do that, I'm afraid."

"Oh really, hmmm well sorry to disappoint you, but no one can stop me. You better hope that the old man dies Kakashi, or the last thing you ill be hearing are your on screams as you die."

Everything that Zabuza had said was laced with killing intent as big as Kakashi's or Asuma's. It was so much that the Kage Bunshin that Kakashi had sent out earlier nearly soiled itself before dispelling. Even Haku had a hard time breathing, though she was used to it.

The three green genin and Tazuna welcomed the earth below their feet openly as they fell, quivering in fear. Naruto and Shikamaru were shaking, but not that much.

Kakashi turned around to face his charges. "Don't worry guys, I'll never let any of my nakama die. Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash." He finished with his famous eye smile.

That slightly eased the tension in the air. At least the four on the ground were able to stand up.

"Tch pathetic really, Konoha genins can't even handle killer intent, well except for two it seems." Zabuza said pointing at Naruto and Shikamaru.

"Well, we've had practice." Shikamaru replied, shivering as he thought of what Anko had done to him after he accidentally ate her dango stick. It was much _much _worse than this.

"Yeah, our future cousin-in-law, Mitarashi Anko, she's like the female version of you. When you separate her from her dango, bad things happen, and we pay the ultimate price." Naruto said as he shot a sly glance at Kakashi who was blushing madly.

Zabuza scoffed. Mitarashi Anko's dango obsession was not a new fact in the Ninja world. He didn't doubt their words one bit. But now play time was over. He needed to kill a certain man to feed himself and Haku, his daughter. Then, he would kill the man who wanted him to kill the other man because the four foot midget got on his nerves.

Naruto tensed. The wind had changed direction. He looked over at Shikamaru and saw that he had goosebumps all over his arms meaning that he felt it as well. Zabuza was getting serious. However, it did strike him as odd that the wind had brought a delicately feminine scent with it as well. It wasn't Ino, so then who?

Quickly, Zabuza made a few hand seals. "**Ninpo: Kirigakure no Jutsu." **(Hidden mist technique). A thick fog covered a radius of one hundred feet making it impossible to see. Zabuza's dismembered and ethereal voice echoed around them. "Hmmmm...Kakashi, your sharingan is useless here. The only thing that can see through this fog is the Byakugan, and you have no Hyuuga's on your little team."

Inwardly, Kakashi cursed. He knew Zabuza was right. "Asuma, take your genin and Tazuna to safety, we've got this covered!"

Asuma nodded, not that Kakashi could see anyway. Using his senses, he found his young charges and shushinned them all away to safety along with Tazuna.

Once they were out of harms way Ino asked, "Sensei, Naru and Shika are fighting an S-ranked nin. Is this really okay? We might not see them again." There was fright in her voice as she was worried about her surrogate brothers.

Asuma chuckled. "People underestimate those two too much. Zabuza said himself that Naru and Shika are A-ranked nins. They will be fine. And Kakashi's with them as well which means that they have two A-ranked nin and one S-ranked fighting against an S-ranked nin. Now, Tazuna san, we must go to your house to fortify it. You are in very grave danger, and I am in no mood for any more hanky-panky. From now on you will tell us the truth or we will leave. Is that understood?"

Tazuna looked down shamefacedly. "Hai...and gomen for putting your lives in danger."

Asuma nodded in response. _Otoutos, Kakashi, stay safe._

* * *

><p>Zabuza cursed. The Hokage's son had shushinned to quickly for him to catch the old man. He reluctantly let the jutsu go and found himself in front of three very angry looking ninjas.<p>

"Listen, I don't have to be here as long as the target isn't. So let's call it a day and go home shall we?" Haku wanted to yell at her father for being an idiot. _He_ was the one who loved the fight, so why give up now?

"I don't think so Zabuza. It's troublesome, but you tried to kill our client, so we must return the favor." Naruto reasoned. "Prepare yourself!" Naruto charged.

"Wait, Naruto!" Kakashi cried as he tried to pull Naruto back, but to no avail. Shikamaru was silent, he knew that Naruto charged to assess Zabuza's skill, and he told Kakashi this. Both decided to wait until Naruto needed significant help.

"**Suiton**: **Suiryudan!"** A raging dragon made out of the water from the nearby lake charged at Zabuza who nimbly sidestepped it.

"**Suiton: Teppodama!" **The simple C-rank offensive jutsu's strength was increased ten fold as Zabuza used it.

Naruto quickly dodged the water bullet and found himself high in the treetops, free from Zabuza's reach. Naruto needed a plan, and a fast one. Zabuza fought primarily using water based ninjutsu. Fire would be useless and wind would be strong. Earth was a viable option, but none of the three cousins were adept at earth based attacks. So wind it was. The problem with wind was that Zabuza simply avoided them because Naruto's attacks were predictable. He needed to have the element of surprise...like the wind.

**Kit, I know what you're thinking, and I like it. Listen, I can set up that link that you like to use. The one that only works with family. **This link was devised by the Kyuubi so that any blood relation of Naruto's would be able to communicate with him using only the mind, like telepathy.**  
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_Kyuu nii, that's a great idea. I need to connect with Kaka nii and Shika._

**Alright kit, also, don't use my power if you can avoid it. It will attract unnecessary attention...trust me.**

_I understand Kyuu nii, please do it now._

**Hai Naru, prepare yourself.**

Naruto felt the tendrils of his conscience pushing out like shadows, never stopping till they reached their destination. Shikamaru and Kakashi felt it as it arrived. The familiar feeling of Naruto's mind touching their own. Naruto appeared in a swirl of leaves, Kakashi and Shikamaru a little ways back. Zabuza just decided to wait and see what was going to do.

_Guys, listen. I have a plan._

_Go on Naru, what is it?_

_We need to attack from different directions, ambushing him and taking him down from his blind spot, which is located to his left. I noticed this when he dodged my first attack. He always looks to the left more than the right, which means that the left is weak for him._

_Hmm, so what do you propose we do cousin?_

_Collaboration jutsus. Kaka nii, with your Fire and our wind, we can decimate him easily. _

_Sounds good_. _Any Katon jutsu will do, right?_

_Hai, but **Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu** would be preferred. Shikamaru will make a **Fuuton: Renkudan,** and I will attack him with **Chidori.**_

Meanwhile, Zabuza, and Haku were staring at the trio as if they were complete idiots. "Listen guys, I know that you're trying to kill me, but to discuss the plan where I can hear it loud and clear is a bit ridiculous."

Naruto's eyes widened. It was impossible...no, it was beyond impossible, unless...

Shikamaru and Kakashi were shocked. That link never failed. It was not supposed to work on non-family members. And their eyes widened at the implications as well. What the hell? Haku smiled at the stupid looks on her opponents' face.

Naruto was trying to keep a cool demeanor in place. "Zabuza, what are you talking about? I never moved my lips."

Zabuza smirked. "Are you trying to tell me that your plan to attack me using collaboration Katon and Fuuton jutsus was all in my head?"

Naruto sank to his knees as reality set in. Fuck, he was related to the Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza-their number one enemy for the time being.

Zabuza looked at the young boy in front of him, then to Kakashi and Shikamaru. Their mouths' were open, looking on incredulously, like they knew something that he didn't.

Naruto quickly stood up and regained his composure. "Zabuza, i did say that, but not out loud. It was in my head. There is a special power that I, and only I can use that allows my mind to find and speak to family-those related by blood to me through our minds. The only way that you could have heard what we were saying is if you are related to us."

Zabuza processed this information, and let it slowly sink in. Well shit, he was related to the Yondaime Hokage chibi, and he didn't even know how. Although it was true that the blonde's name used to be Uzumaki, it was too far of a stretch. So who was this kid to him? Haku stared at the blonde haired boy. Was he really...family?

"Chibi, that's impossible, I never had any family except for my daughter and sister. However my sister was killed twenty years ago in the bloodline raids in Kiri when she was visiting me from our home village."

Kakashi gasped. No, it wasn't true. It couldn't have been. Uzumaki Kushina...Momochi Zabuza. Both were well versed in water based jutsus, both had the same brash demeanor, and that face...it could have been a manly version of his aunt. What was the connection between the two.

"Tell me Zabuza, does the name Uzumaki Kushina mean anything to you?" Kakashi asked apprehensively.

Shikamaru and Naruto looked at their cousin incredulously for a moment before realizing what he meant. If Zabuza was related to Naruto, it would only be from the Uzumaki side.

Zabuza looked as though he had been electrocuted thousands of times by a Raikiri. "How the hell do you know the name of my SISTER!" He roared.

Naruto trembled. This man...no this demon was his Uncle? The man who murdered his entire genin class, was an Uzumaki? He was the cousin to Tsunade? HIM?

**Kit, calm down. You are very close to accessing some of my power, something that is not what is in your best interest. This man does smell like you, and Kushina. When I was inside of her, I sensed her longing for the one known as Zabuza, and I think he is the one. Whenever she used to let me out so I could be with Hitomi, she used to tell me stories about her old family. So please, for your mother's sake, trust the man.**

Naruto didn't answer his demonic brother**  
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Kakashi looked at Naruto in concern. Then he spoke. "Uzumaki Kushina was the wife of Namikaze Minato, more commonly known as the Yondaime Hokage. She also happens to be mine and Shikamaru's aunt. The Yondaime Hokage was our paternal Uncle. And Naruto here...is her son."

Haku gasped and clutched her heart at the implications. She had a family. She was the niece of the Yondaime Hokage. Maybe, just maybe she would finally have a home.

Zabuza just stared. No, no, no. It wasn't true. Kushina had died in the raids, right? Had he not looked hard enough? Had he abandoned the Uzumaki name for nothing? Would Tsunade ever forgive him? He was just eight when this had happened. "Haku, you can come out now."He called his daughter out. She had always asked him if she had other family. He had always answered no. It seems as though he was gravely mistaken.

Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Naruto stared at the figure who had appeared before them. She was the kids' age, with long ebony tresses that fell to her waist. Her face was soft and angel-like. Her heart shaped face brought a fierce blush to Shikamaru's face.

"My name is Uzumaki Zabuza, son of the second Uzukage- Uzumaki Hideki and my mother, Uzumaki Nadare." Zabuza said.

"My name is Uzumaki Haku, daughter to Uzumaki Zabuza."

_Haku is her name, it's pretty. _Shikamaru thought.

Naruto understood that the fighting would now be stopped. His uncle wanted to talk, and talk they would. About everything.

"My name is Nara Naruto- son of the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze-Nara Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. These are my cousins, Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru. Apparently, we are your nephews."

_What the hell, I'm **the** Hatake Kakashi's uncle? What has this world come to? They are my family though, and I need one hell of an explanation from them all. Perhaps it would be nice to live somewhere again. Yes, for Haku's sake as well as my own, I need to embrace my family._

Family-the word brought a fuzzy feeling to his stomach, something that had not been their since the day Haku was born._  
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"Listen Naruto...I don't know exactly how to say this, but..._"_

"I know." Naruto replied.

"..."

"You don't want to kill Tazuna San anymore. I understand. I also realize that the both of you need a stable home. This is something we can provide for you. Even if you once were our enemy, I can sense that you are confused about some things. Listen, this is all ridiculously fast, but...come to Konoha with us."

All eyes widened at the implications.

Naruto continued. "You need a family, we can give you that. The both of you would be a tremendous asset to Konoha. Haku, I don't know your skills but if you were taught by Zab...oji san, then you must be the best." Haku blushed slightly at the praise. Zabuza was amazed how accepting the kid was, He had even called him oji-san.

"You will have the protection of the Senju, Nara, Hatake, and Namikaze clan. Essentially, the founding clans of Konoha will give you their support. Plus, now that you will be revealed as an Uzumaki, you will become clan head and take the Uzumaki seat that I have held. You should know that I hold the current seat of the Namikaze in my great-uncle Jiraiaya's stead. He also happens to be the husband of Tsunade Baa-chan. Don't worry about anything else."

Zabuza and Haku were speechless.

Shikamaru decided that it was he spoke as well. "Listen, no one is forcing you to do anything. It's just that Naruto and I, we are cousins...no we are brothers. You might not be directly related to me, but any family member of Naruto's is by default mine and Kaka-Nii's as well. We, the three of us can't bear the thought of unknown family not being protected, even if you can protect yourself. For all you knew, if this meeting never happened, Kaka nii could have stuck a **Chidori** in Haku's chest. Would you want that? Uzumaki Zabuza, from this day forth you are our uncle, with Haku being our cousin. Drop the name 'Momochi', and rebuild the Uzumaki clan to its formal glory. This I beseech to you, a nephew asking his uncle."

Haku had tears running down her face. "Oto-San, please. I want...no I _need_ a family. This is ours, please don't say no." Haku looked up at him with her puppy dog eyes. It seemed even the most terrible demon was human when it came to his daughter. The truth was, he was never going to disagree to their idea. He needed this as much as she did. "Answer me one question..."

"She's dead." Naruto said before he could ask.

"Ah...I see. Well then my nephews, we have much to talk about. I fear I have missed to much in the last twenty years. Perhaps you can fill me in on twelve of them."

Naruto, Haku, and Shikamaru grinned. Family always came first, no matter what.

Kakashi sighed. He had another uncle who happened to be a S-Ranked nin. He also had a kawaii cousin who Anko would no doubt glomp the second she saw her. But, they were family, and family loved each other.

"Oji san. We should get back to the others at Tazuna's house or they might get worried. We should explain everything to them, and then we will find Gato and kill him." Kakashi said. Surprisingly, it didn't feel to weird to call the man Oji-san. They really were a family.

Zabuza chuckled. "Deal, but _I_ get to kill that man. I was planning on it anyway, after I saw the state of the country. Don't worry you'll see.

And they did indeed.

As they entered Wave Country, they civilians had looks of fear on their faces. It was as if they were expecting the family to attack them at any moment. Instead of terrorizing the civilians any more, they simply jumped from roof to roof, looking at the ruins of a once prosperous country. Markets were poorly stocked. A few small fish and shriveled vegetables. The only thing of relative abundance was rice. Lots and lots of rice. Naruto made a silent vow to make the people who did this to the country pay. And it would hurt _bad._

The party of five stopped at an open clearing. They didn't know where Tazuna's house was located. Kakashi decided that the simplest way to find the others was a summoning jutsu.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"** A puff of smoke revealed a small pug with a blue gi wrapped around it and a Konoha headband strapped to its head. "Yo, Kakashi, Naru, Shika. It's been a while." Pakkun noticed that the other two in the group smelled like Naruto.

"Pakkun, can you get us Asuma's scent? We have to find him...now." Kakashi said.

"No problem pup, follow me."

Within five minutes the group arrived at a modest two story house. Wonderful smells were emanating from the house. A pounding of feet could be heard as the family neared the door. It was thrown open by a frantic Ino who immediately glomped Naruto and Shikamaru.

"You idiots! You had us so worried! What happened? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Shikamaru and Naruto sweatdropped at their 'sister's' frantic questioning.

"Can we at least come in please?" Naruto asked with a twinkle in his eye. Ino blushed and muttered something about 'ungrateful bastards' under her breath.

Asuma looked wary when he saw Zabuza and an unknown kunoichi make their way into the cramped kitchen. Tazuna was frozen in place as he thought that the Ninja had decided to turn against him and kill all of them.

Seeing Zabuza shift uncomfortably under the gaze of the people Kakashi decided to speak up. "Um...there is something we all have to tell you. Zabuza will be returning home with us after the mission is over."

"WHAT!"

"Now wait, here us out. There is a very good reason for this. Um...you see, Zabuza is kind of my uncle-and Shikamaru's and especially Naruto's." Kakashi said with a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"**WHAT?"... TBC**

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><p><strong>So I hoped you liked that chapter of A Maelstrom's legacy. The wave arc will most likely go on for two, maybe three chapters. There is severe deviation from canon-because canon is boring sometimes:) Suggestion, comments, and criticisms are always welcome.<strong>

**Ja-ne!  
><strong>


	4. Revelations and Training

**So this is the fourth chapter in this story. Some slight twists are going to happen. Zabuza bonds with his family I don't think that Naruto or Shikamaru will start playing around with their bloodline just yet, that's for when they return to Konoha. Thanks for the reviews:) Yes Shika-Haku still will happen. Anyway, just read...Ja Ikimasho! BTW: Zabuza will be OOC, really, really OOC. Sorry it took so long to update...things happen in life.  
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><p>"<strong>What!"<strong> The two story house nearly shook from the roar of sound.

"Jeez, you guys are so troublesome. His name is _Uzumaki_ Zabuza, my mother's brother. SO he is my uncle." Naruto said lazily.

Shino looked awfully confused. "I'm sorry Naruto San, how does that make him Kakashi sensei's uncle as well."

"Ah, Shino San, I forgot you didn't know. Kaka nii's father, Hatake Sakumo, was Shikamaru and my father's cousin. Since all three were like brothers, we three are cousins."

Shino was extremely good at hiding his shock. "But since you are family, why are you on the same team?" He asked.

Shikamaru answered his question. "To this, we do not know the answer. Naruto and I were very surprised when the teams were announced. We haven't talked to the Hokage on this subject, but he must have had a good reason, so we'll let it go."

Shino nodded and accepted this answer. So Hatake Kakashi was related to these two 'dobes'. Shino knew something was wrong. In school, Naruto and Shikamaru had been at the bottom of the class, barely passing. And now, they were A-ranked Nins in the Bingo Book. They had killed foreign nins before actually becoming shinobi. He would have to ask Asuma sensei about the enigma known as the Nara Kyodai. If it was one thing that Shino hated, it was an unsolvable mystery.

Zabuza looked at Tazuna. "Oi, old man, sorry for trying to kill you. It's just that my daughter and I need to survive somehow, and this is one of the only ways. If it makes you feel any better, I was going to kill Gato after I received my pay, by killing you." He finished with a huge smile on his face, though it couldn't be seen through the wrappings covering it.

Tazuna sweatdropped. "For some reason I don't feel very comforted by that fact..."

"Please excuse my idiot of a father. He has no tact when it comes to dealing with such sensitive manners." Haku spoke for the first time since entering the house. All eyes turned to her and she blushed under the gaze. Ino noticed the way Shikamaru looked at the girl. He was in a daze. Ino's face developed a sly grin. She knew exactly what she was doing when they all returned to Konoha. She didn't run after her 'crushes' any more, she helped other people develop them.

"Dad isn't very good with...all this." She gestured to the people in the room.

Zabuza blushed...yes, the Demon of the Mist blushed! Of course no one except Kakashi could see because of those damn bandages covering his face. They were mask twins, it seemed so they understood the hidden emotions they kept. It was the beginning of a long beautiful friendship.

"Yes, well. I haven't had much practice, have I." Zabuza retorted.

"Zabuza Oji San, could you perhaps tell me about my mother?" Naruto asked cautiously. He had never met either mother or father, and the stories he was told were not enough. He wanted to hear them from someone who really knew her...her younger brother.

Zabuza looked at the boy and sighed. He reminded him so much of Kushina, his older sister. He had only known her for eight years, but they were the best eight years of his life. Although he looked like the Yondaime, his personality was split between that of a Nara and Uzumaki. From what he had seen of the Uzumaki side, he was a mini Kushi-Chan clone. Zabuza wouldn't be surprised if under that calm facade, things like "Dattebayo" occasionally came out.

"Naruto...it's late right now. I want to talk as much as you do. But let's talk tomorrow. All five of us. Is that acceptable?" Naruto nodded. His uncle was right. It was very late at the moment. The sun had gone down a long time ago.

"Haku and I will make camp outside. The house is cramped as it is. We don't want to intrude." Zabuza said. He knew that others will be uncomfortable in his presence. The others nodded in assent. The two of them silently trooped out the door.

"Damn Naru, you have a messed up family!" Chouji commented.

"Ya think." Was his reply.

Tazuna broke the uncomfortable silence that ensued. "Well... this is my daughter Tsunami, and my grandson Inari." He said gesturing to the pretty young lady and the small boy in the room as well. The lady named Tsunami waved, while the boy stared at them indifferently.

Inari and Naruto had a staring contest, a battle between wills. It only lasted about three seconds before Inari quailed under Naruto's gaze.

It was too late for dinner, even though they had not eaten. Tsunami had one extra room. Ino would bunk with Tsunami while the men and boys would take the room. Having six guys in one room was not a prospect that they would like to deal with, but they were Ninja, so they would adjust.

* * *

><p>That night, Naruto lay awake thinking of all the events that had taken place today. He had gained an S-Ranked missing nin and his daughter as an Uncle and Cousin. The weird part was...it didn't feel weird at all. It felt...right. They were family-a very, very dysfunctional one, but family nonetheless.<p>

It would be the first time that he would be meeting a full Uzumaki as well. Tsunade didn't count. From what he knew, the Second Uzukage was his grandfather, his mother and his uncle's father. The Shodaime Hokage's wife Uzumaki Mito, was the sister to the Nidaime Uzukage.

What he didn't know was that the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out during a civil war some thirty or so years ago. In it, the Uzukage was killed. Uzumaki Nadare, Kushina, and Zabuza fled to Kirigakure where eventually, Nadare passed away a year later from extreme mental trauma. At that time, Kushina was eight and Zabuza was four. Some four years later, Kiri had begun it's purge of bloodlines in which Kushina was swept away. She was extremely skilled in Fuiinjutsu, and could have been considered the same level as Jiraiya was. She also had special chakras that could not be considered a blood line, but was like the Senju power of controlling the tail beasts. For this reason, Kiri tried to kill her. In reality, she had been found by Konoha nins in a forest. The Konoha nins had taken her to the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen who, upon hearing the name Uzumaki called Tsunade over immediately. Through blood tests and Kushina's testimony as well as Tsunade's tearful recognition of her cousin, it was concluded that Uzumaki Kushina was indeed the eldest child of the Nidaime Uzukage. She was the grand niece of the first Hokage, making her Tsunade and Nawaki's cousin.

Originally, Tsunade was chosen to house the Kyuubi when it was confirmed that Mito was slowly dying. However, the Uzumaki's longivity would be better than the Senju's ability to control them. Kyuubi was quite tame at this point, so the Senju ability was useless. Kushina's arrival was perfect. Kyuubi took an immediate liking to Kushina, more so than he did to Tsunade. Days after Mito's death, Kyuubi very willingly was sealed into Kushina. She became the second Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Kushina had just reached her twelfth birthday at this time. She bypassed the academy and joined the team of Namikaze Minato and Aburame Shibi. Minato and her had met once at a family party in which Kushina was revealed to be the cousin of Tsunade Senju, Minato's uncle's wife. Kushina and Shibi had a very strange relationship. They were as close as brother and sister, yet barely talked. When asked by Minato how this was possible, they said that they had an understanding of each other. Minato and Kushina originally disliked each other. Kushina thought that Minato was a pansy, and he thought she looked like a tomato with her chubby face and vibrant red hair. But that red hair was the thread that tied them together till the end.

Kushina had tried to find her brother many times, but never could. She had heard stories of the "Demon of the Mist" who had wiped out his entire genin class. But his name was Momochi Zabuza, not Uzumaki. The name 'Zabuza' was very popular in that day. Momochi Zabuza could never be Uzumaki Zabuza. It was unforgivable for a full blooded Uzumaki male to drop his surname. That person would have been a disgrace to the family. She thought that Zabuza would never do something like that, but he did.

Of course Naruto knew none of this. But he would...tomorrow. That night, Naruto did not move a muscle.

Shikamaru stared at his cousin discreetly throughout the night. Naruto was restless. Usually, while Naruto would sleep in awkward positions much like Shikamaru did. He would toss and turn in the night, all while sleeping soundly. So when he did not move at all, it meant something. Naruto was anxious. Very very anxious.

For five people, morning could not come sooner.

* * *

><p>For the first time in a long time, Zabuza woke up and he felt happy. He felt <em>ecstatic.<em>He had a real family, not just his daughter. Haku was the light of his life. Her mother had been the only woman had ever truly loved from the bottom of his heart. He was never one to admit his feelings and he couldn't tell her until she was killed eleven years ago in the bloodline raids, just nine months after Haku had been born.

Today was the day he would start to live again. It was the day he would grow a heart once more.

Naruto woke to the sound of chirping birds and sunlight pouring into the cramped room. He was feeling a bit apprehensive about the whole ordeal, but enthusiastic as well. He wanted to see what this day would turn out to be.

Shikamaru was awake long before anyone else was. Shikamaru truly cared for Naruto, and so he wanted the best for his cousin. He knew that Naruto would be accepting of his uncle and cousin, no matter what. It would be difficult, but they would make it work. In the ten or so hours that Shikamaru knew Zabuza, he knew that he had changed. Zabuza was a ruthless killer, not a family man. Or so everyone thought. Even the strongest man had a weakness, and Zabuza's was family. Shikamaru guessed that Zabuza only had a rough exterior because if he showed his true feelings, people would try to exploit that. But if Konoha could give them a home, perhaps then Zabuza would show his true colors.

* * *

><p>At 8:23 that morning, a disgruntled troop of boys and two men marched down from the cramped room on the second floor of the modest house. They were hungry and cranky. Imagine their surprise to walk into a room filled with the delicious aroma of fresh Onigiri and fish on the table. Mouths started to water and the men stared at it like they had been reunited with a long lost lover.<p>

Let's imagine that these men are standing there with their mouths wide open with drool dripping down. Next, let's imagine two girls, one with blonde hair the other with black, sitting at the table chatting merrily about the life of a kunoichi. If that didn't surprise them then this might. Finally, let's imagine a man with spiky dark brown hair, sitting at a seat, talking to the man who he had been hired to kill, about the size of the fish that he had caught.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Shino, Asuma, and Chouji momentarily forgot their hunger to stare at the quartet in awe. The two once enemies were chatting with those who they would have killed ordinarily. This included one Uzumaki Zabuza-the man who had killed off his entire genin class and was labeled "The Demon of the Mist." What exactly was this world coming to?

Zabuza spotted the six of them and looked up. Through their daze they hadn't noticed that Zabuza had dropped the bandages. He had an angular, smooth face that was chiseled and handsome. It made them wonder if that was what Kakashi looked like underneath his mask. Sadly only his family and one other female would know at the moment.

"Yo minna, Ohaiyo." He lifted his fingers in a two fingered salute with a grin on his face. Yep, that was the older, more sadistic version of Kakashi alright.

"Ah...Ohaiyo?" Was it really a good morning when the Demon of the Mist actually smiled at you with his shark-like teeth?

Zabuza looked straight at Naruto. "We promised to talk today. So eat your breakfast and the five of us will have a nice chat."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru and Kakashi. They nodded. Answers were needed on both sides.

Breakfast was eaten in relative silence. Ino and Haku's chattering could be heard. Occasionally, Chouji asked Tsunami if he could have "more of her heavenly creation." Other than that, mostly everyone was silent.

Naruto couldn't wait for breakfast to end. Naruto was not a very patient person. He was lazy, but not patient, a trait inherited from the Uzumaki side no doubt. When Naruto got restless, he was as still as a statue, something that Shikamaru and Kakashi noticed.

Shino discreetly observed Naruto. Who was he? Back in the academy, Naruto was an absolute loser. No friends, terrible grades, no potential. Or so everyone thought. Shino was certain that based on the way all the Ninjas treated Naruto, this was all just an act. The same went with Shikamaru as well. But why, why go through such lengths just to keep your abilities a secret? Naruto and Shikamaru were very comfortable with the jonin senseis, if the conversation at the Academy could have been proof. They had tremendous skill, more so than any genin.

Then there was the civilians. They were completely different from the ninjas. While the ninjas respected Naruto, the civilians treated him like the scum below their had observed the civilians sell Naruto overpriced items that were completely outrageous. After he had left, they had called him a "Demon" or "Kyuubi no gaki."

Shino wondered if it was something that his parents had done to the civilians that had made them so mad. He even asked Aburame Shibi about this. That was the most emotion he had seen from his father. Shibi had said that Naruto's parents were the most wonderful humans on earth, and those who insulted their legacy were the lowest scum on Earth. His mother had come into the room and calmed Shibi down. When Shino asked his mother Tokiko who Naruto's parents were, she smiled and said that he would have to ask him himself.

Shino had tried to place his Kikaichu beetles on Naruto, but they always came back saying that the chakra output that he had was too strong for them to stay on him for long. This always had struck Shino as strange because Naruto had never ever fought using chakra. However now, the pieces were falling into place.

Suddenly, Zabuza stood up. Naruto looked at him and nodded. He them beckoned to Shikamaru and Kakashi who followed him wordlessly. Haku apologized to Ino for cutting their conversation short and went after her father.

Ino and Chouji looked at each other. "Do you think Naru will be okay?" Chouji asked Asuma.

"Naruto will be Naruto. I have a feeling that Zabuza will be the one who is going to be more upset than Naruto."

Shino called one of his Kikaichu beetles out and made to put it on Shikamaru but was stopped by Asuma.

"Shino, this is a private matter, do not intrude."

"But sensei, there should be no secrets between teammates and for this mission we are teammates. What we don't know can get us killed later on."

Asuma smiled a grim smile. "Trust me Shino, Naruto has secrets that people do want to kill him for. He is in the Bingo Book after all. Let him have his peace today. Besides, how would you like it if people exploited your biggest secret?"

Shino looked down. He was ashamed of himself.

"Forgive me Sensei, I was not thinking straight."

"All is well Shino, when Naruto feels like you are trustworthy, he will tell you. You and Naruto are more alike than you think." Asuma finished.

Shino had a lot to think about. And think he would.

* * *

><p>Zabuza led the rest of the four to a clearing near a small lake. They sat down on the grass and waited for one to start the conversation. After a few minutes, Zabuza spoke.<p>

"So my sister is dead." He said it in a very flat voice. It wasn't a statement or a question, it was just said.

Naruto picked at the grass. "To tell you how she died, I should tell you some things about mom." Zabuza stared at Naruto, his eyes urging Naruto to go on.

However it was Kakashi who spoke. "Kushina-Baa san was found in Kiri when she was twelve by Konoha nins. They brought her to Konoha after seeing the Uzumaki insignia on her left shoulder." Everyone stared at Kakashi. This was brand new information.

He continued. "Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodai Hokage was the first Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

"Kyuubi...that's what attacked Konoha twelve years ago!" Zabuza exclaimed.

"Yes well...I'm getting to that part. Anyway, originally, Tsunade Baa Chan was chosen to house the Kyuubi because she was a Senju, however after Kushina Baa San came to Konoha, she was the perfect candidate. She had those special chakras capable of controlling the Kyuubi if he got out of control, the Uzumaki longevity, and she was a master of Fuuinjutsu, all at the age of twelve. So she became the second host of the Kyuubi." Haku gasped. Her aunt had held the most powerful monster in history.

"Eventually, Baa San got the name "The Bloody Red Habanero", although no one outside of Konoha knew who that was. This might have been one of the reasons that you never knew she was alive. Baa San and Minato jii san were enemies at first, but then they fell in love. They were married twelve years after they met, when both were twenty four. The marriage was celebrated amongst their close family and friends, and kept a secret from the rest of the world. This is why basically no one knows who Naruto's parents are." No one talked for some time. Naruto decided that he should take over.

"This is where I come in. You should know that a Jinchuriki is weakest during birth. The seal weakens, and the sealed beast inside has a greater chance of escaping. Kyuubi did get out, but willingly. He knew that it would be easier to come out rather than have Kushina try to suppress him while giving birth. Before you say anything, the Kyuubi be considered like a summon, but he was tied to the host's chakra." Zabuza nodded. He could accept that.

"However, while she was giving birth to me, something happened. A man...by the name of Uchiha Madara. He..., He took control of the Kyuubi." Zabuza looked at Naruto incredulously. Uchiha...Madara, the founder of the Uchiha clan was still alive. Then the rumors about the Yondaime Mizukage... were not rumors at all.

"And the Kyuubi went on a rampage under the influence of the Mangekyo Sharingan to destroy Konoha. Of course Dad knew what was going on. He knew that the normally passive being would never attack anyone without reason. And he also knew that the only way to stop the being was to seal it within another, preferably a baby whose chakra coils were not developed..."

'You..." Zabuza trailed off.

"Yes me. I had just been born. Mom was really weak at the time. She couldn't protect me from the Kyuubi and Madara. But dad...dad was strong, extremely strong. He had studied Fuuinjutsu under mom and was more or less her level. The seal on her stomach **Shiki Fuujin**, he had recreated it. Using the seal means that one must sacrifice their own life to summon the Shinigami. Mom and Dad sacrificed their everything to help me survive. And so I became the third host to the Kyuubi." Naruto finished.

Zabuza and Haku remained silent. Kushina had been killed because of that damned Uchiha! The Kyuubi had been good, it wasn't his fault that Konoha was destroyed. Uchiha Madara...that son of a bitch would die, one way or another. Haku was speechless. Her cousin housed the most powerful being in history. How was he still...sane? What was it like?

"Naruto...is it overwhelming sometimes? Holding the Kyuubi that is." Haku asked her cousin.

Naruto gave her a sad smile. "The Sandaime called the entire village together and told everyone what had happened, how the Kyuubi was sealed in me. He knew what had really happened because Dad had left a letter detailing everything that had happened. This letter was read to the council and that's what stopped them from killing me. It was also read to the ninja section of the village, except for the part about me being his son. Dad asked that I was to be treated as a hero, which the ninja side complied with. They knew the difference between a kunai and the scroll it is sealed within. The civilian side...did not. They tried to kill me several times, but never could. Kaka Nii made sure of that, as did my ANBU guard growing up. So when the civilians figured out that I couldn't die, they refused to let me in to their stores or sold me terrible products. To this day the only civilian store that I will eat in is Ichiraku Ramen. They were the only civilian restaurant to treat me as a human and not a demon."

"I would come home crying all the time and I would have Shika and the entire Nara clan comfort me. It was at the age of four where I learned about Kyuu Nii through deep meditation. He was sleeping for a time, regaining his strength. When I first met him, I was scared shitless. What four year old wouldn't be seeing a hundred foot tall fox behind a large metal cage all in your head. At first I really hated him, he had made my life outside home hell. But then he told me why he did it, and I forgave him. And so one day I just stopped crying. I didn't let the harsh words or glares affect me. I put on a mask of happiness that only my family could see through. I became the 'dobe' of the academy. I was the idiot who ate nothing but ramen and wore 'kill me orange'. I even had to hide my relation to my family.

Shikamaru and I couldn't really talk to each other, or it would cause suspicion. Both of us can be considered pretty smart, but I had to hide that for obvious reasons. After all, would the villagers like a smart demon or a stupid one? The reason Shikamaru acted so dumb in the academy was for my sake. He could have been rookie of the year easily, yet he stayed back because he knew that I couldn't act smart. Then there was Kaka Nii. If we were seen in the village together people would start to ask why the 'demon' was strolling around with the man whose sensei and uncle he had supposedly killed. I hated the villagers for so long. I _wanted_ to kill all of them. But then the kind man and his daughter at the ramen place turned that thought around. They were the only civilians to treat me like I was actually human. So then I thought, If those two treat me so well, the rest of the village will too in due time. And now, six years from when I thought that, I am finally gaining some respect from the civilian side."

Shikamaru and Kakashi looked somber. Although Naruto led a seemingly perfect life, it was not so. Kakashi had blocked thirty seven death attacks on Naruto in his first week of living from the civilians. Naruto had been living in the Nara clan house since he was born, but only some ninja knew of this. The Sandaime had bought an apartment for Naruto shortly after his seventh birthday. Naruto was seemingly living their according to the civilians, but it was all a pretense. None of the civilians knew where it was so they never got the chance to destroy it, otherwise they would have. Now that Naruto was a ninja, things were different and he finally didn't have to hide anymore.

Zabuza looked at Naruto sadly. He had led a pretty tough life, and had to grow up quickly. Haku looked at her cousin with pity. He had to go through so much to be where he was today.

"Ne, Oji San, Haku, would you like to meet Kyuubi?" Naruto asked.

"NANI! Ano...are you..su..sure? He won't attack us?" Haku cried.

Shikamaru laughed. "Nah. Kyuubi is tame. Like Naruto said, him attacking Konoha was a mistake, one that he hopes to rectify. So, how about it?" Zabuza and Haku looked at each other before finally nodding. "Alright, go ahead."

Naruto got up and patted the dirt off of his pants. "Yosh...here I go." He bit his thumb and made the signs for the Summoning Technique. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kyuubi no Kitsune!"** A plume of smoke erupted. From the shadows emerged a four foot majestic looking fox with nine flowing tails. "**Yo, Ore wa Kyuubi da. Hajimemashite." **(I'm the Kyuubi, pleased to make your acquaintance.)

"KAWAII!" Haku ran and glomped him. Kyuubi was tackled to the ground with a giant THUD. Zabuza looked on with bemusement. _This is THE kyuubi no kitsune who attacked Konoha? What has this world come to?_

Shikamaru was horrified to find himself jealous of an ancient fox. _Did I really wish that I was the one underneath her? Tch...Mendoukse."_

As Haku and Kyuubi played, Naruto looked at Zabuza. "Alright, I said my part, now it's your turn."

Zabuza ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Where to begin...you should know that I only knew nee-chan for eight years. She disappeared during the Kiri bloodline purge when I was eight. We were the children of the Nidaime Uzukage. You should know that the three of us, Tsunade, Kushina, and I, we were very close. Tsunade, I only knew her for four years but I still remember her so clearly. With her blonde hair like you, and her fiery temper, she was the older, blonder version of nee-chan. When I was four, Uzu no Kuni had a civil war. Different factions of the village revolted against the Uzukage and defected to Konoha or Kiri. Eventually, dad was killed, and mom, nee chan, and I fled to Kiri. The Uzumaki clan had no idea that we were there or surely they would have killed us as well. We were incognito for a very long time. Mom died the year after we arrived in Kiri. The stress of being a single parent, losing her home, and her husband really got to her." Zabuza sighed. "Nee chan was, she was amazing. She took care of me through everything, at least for four years. She was a Fuuinjutsu master. The **Shiki Fuujin** seal on your stomach is the Uzumaki Clan specialty. We were all seal masters. It's in our blood, heck even I'm good at them. And for you and Haku...it should be natural. You guys are half Uzumaki after all."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Hokage Jiji told me about the Uzumaki clan being well versed with Fuuinjutsu. I'm alright at it, but I'm getting better when Jiraiya oji san comes and teaches me occasionally."

"Ah...Jiraiya of the Sannin. He married my cousin didn't he?"

"Ah...yes, Tsunade baa chan."

"Hee hee. Interesting. Anyway, because she was so powerful at such a young age, many people in Kiri had taken notice. They either wanted to kill her or take control of her. I thought that she was killed in the raids, but clearly I was mistaken. You are the living proof of that. If the Yondaime was still alive, I would castrate him with my bare hands for violating my sister!" Zabuza yelled.

Somewhere on the ninth cloud in the fourth galaxy, Minato sneezed while on top of a panting Kushina.

Naruto sweatdropped. Even after she had died, he was still an overprotective little brother. "Maa Maa, I wouldn't be here if he didn't, now would I?"

"Hmm, I guess you're right. But still... Anyway, after Kushina was gone. I became very depressed. I couldn't take the Uzumaki name, so I took the name Momochi. I entered the Academy, and a year later, all of my friends were dead by my hand." He grimaced. "To this day, I regret that. Believe me or not...but I do. I was almost ten by this time. And the rest is history. I became one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. The reason why I became a Nuke nin was because I led a revolt against the Yondaime Mizukage. He was the one who ordered the bloodline purges, and in it I lost Haku's mother. Yuki Akira."

Haku looked solemn. She knew that her father had loved her mother more than anything.

Zabuza continued. "Akira was from the Yuki Clan. The clan had a special bloodline, one that uses wind and water to control Ice. They specialize in Hyoton Jutsus."

"So Haku has a bloodline?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yes, and it was one of the reasons that we never settled down anywhere. Haku was in danger in Kiri, and we had to keep moving so no one would find her." Zabuza eyed his daughter. She was the light of his life, he could never lose her the same way Akira had died.

"Naruto, what you said about Uchiha Madara controlling him..." He started, gesturing at Kyuubi who sat at Haku's feet, "I think that he controlled the Yondaime Mizukage as well."

At this the three Konoha Ninjas looked surprised. "The Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, was the host to the Three Tailed Giant Turtle. He could control his tailed beast extremely well. Rumors, very elaborate rumors were going around that Uchiha Madara was pulling the strings, and he was just a puppet. It was against him that I tried to revolt, but I was cast out of the village."

The Konoha nin were silent at their uncle's revelation. Interesting...

"That's really all there is to it. You said that Konoha can offer us a home. If it can, then we will fight along side Konoha and bring down Uchiha Madara even if it costs us our lives!" Zabuza's exclamation brought a smile to everyone's faces. Under that bloodthirsty facade lay a very determined, loving (maybe that's stretching it) man.

"Well then Uzumaki Zabuza, from this day on you are officially my uncle!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Wasn't I your uncle before?" He asked confusedly.

"Well yes, but since you have agreed to come to Konoha, now it's official. Welcome to the family, uncle, cousin." Naruto gave a foxy grin.

Zabuza gave a true smile, something he hadn't done in a very long time. Haku looked at her father and grinned. Looks like his heart was growing back, and it was all thanks to her blonde cousin.

"**Hai Hai, this is all very touching but now we must discuss matters slightly less important like training. I will be taking Naruto and Shikamaru to learn the basis of my own taijutsu style, Kitsune Ken. If anyone else would like to join, they are welcome to as well." **Kyuubi said.

"I would like to join. My taijutsu has been weak compared to my ninjutsu and genjutsu." Kakashi said.

"I would as well. I would be honored to learn from a master such as your self Kyuubi Sama." Haku said.

Everyone looked at Zabuza expectantly. "Oh hell, I guess it's a family affair then."

Kyuubi grinned. "**Yosh it's settled then! From tomorrow the tor...er training begins!" **He finished in the fox version of the 'Good Guy' pose, one that was still capable of bringing shivers to Kakashi.

The others sweatdropped. Yes the torture would begin. After all, why wouldn't it be torture when the lovable yet sadistic oldest being on earth was teaching you?

"Now then, let's return to the house. The others might be getting worried." Zabuza said.

A chorus of "Hai!" was heard from the rest.

* * *

><p>Asuma saw the five figures and one fox returning to the house, chatting jovially and laughing. <em>Looks like Naruto did it again huh? <em>Shino also looked out the window to see a happy family. Kakashi and Zabuza were laughing at the antics of Naruto as he tried to run to the house but was stopped by Shikamaru's shadow bind. Chouji and Ino smiled at their friends' happiness and decided that they would support them throughout anything.

The civilians, Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari were pleasantly surprised to see a heartfelt smile on the face of the man who had tried to kill them.

The five (and fox) of them approached the house. They had been gone for about an hour or so. As they entered, minus the fox, a feeling of relief overtook them. There would be no more animosity, no more unneeded killing.

Zabuza stopped in front of the spectators. "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to my daughter Haku, and my three nephews, Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Naruto." The four of them mock bowed to the crowd and doubled over in laughter. Asuma was amazed to see Kakashi laugh so much. Kakashi only laughed when he had his psychotic urges to go kill people-something inherited from the Hatake side. And now here he was, laughing his heart out. What was next, he would decide to settle down with some insanely sexy kunoichi and have kids?

Somewhere in Konoha, Anko sneezed while eating her dango. She looked down and so that her precious dango was covered with snot. "I'm going to mother f***ing kill whoever was talking about me!" She yelled in a crazy rage. People inched away from her before finally disappearing in sprint.

Back in Wave Country, Asuma shivered. He felt like a really sexy kunoichi was about to kill him. Hopefully it wasn't Kurenai. He had only ogled Tsunami once for crying out loud!

Kakashi stopped laughing. He then adopted his indifferent looking face. It still unnerved Asuma how quickly Kakashi could change emotions. "Well, starting from tomorrow the five of us will be training for the upcoming battle in a ...family style I guess."

"Yes, Gato and I had an agreement that ten days from yesterday, we would destroy the bridge. Of course that is void right now, but appearances must be upheld_._ That gives us eight days tomorrow that we can train." Zabuza added. "You are their sensei, right?" He asked Asuma, gesturing to the three other genin. Asuma nodded. "Well then. While we will be training, so will you. If they know tree climbing, start them on water walking. Then, because all of them are from clans, have them practice in their clan techniques. I don't know if Gato has hired anyone else besides myself to help destroy the bridge. If he hasn't then our job is easy, but if he has...then training is all we can do." Zabuza concluded.

"Actaully oji-san, Shikamaru and I can stake out the town for today. We'll be back by nightfall. Hopefully we can acquire some information Gato and his base. Would that be acceptable?_" _Naruto asked his uncle.

Zabuza mulled it over. "Alright, but take Haku with you." Naruto looked at his cousin and smiled. "That would be great!" Haku blushed at this. Naruto shot a sly glance at his other cousin. He was blushing as well. _Hm so it seems Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome has an infatuation with Ms. Pristine Beauty. Interesting._

_"_Yosh! Let's go guys!" Naruto yelled as he took off through the treetops.

"Oi, Matte Naruto! You're not going alone you know!" Shikamaru and Haku chased after him, begging him to slow down.

Zabuza chuckled. "Yep that's the impatient Uzumaki side coming out in him alright."..."So Kakashi, mind giving your uncle some of that porn you read?"...

* * *

><p>Naruto, Shikamaru, and Haku entered the town within ten minutes. Before, they had only seen it from afar and the food stands, but seeing it now brought a tumult of emotions. Rage, anger, sorrow, despair, and more. The entire population wore nothing but rags. It seemed that Tazuna's family was relatively wealthy compared to everyone else. Children were thin and ragged, scrounging around for something to eat. As the trio entered, once again they saw the nervous looks on faces. But Naruto smiled a warm smile and some of the tension disappeared. No...just kidding. Naruto smiled and the population cringed in fright. That brought a frown on Shikamaru's face. They didn't even know an act of kindness when they saw it.<p>

"Oi, Naruto, Haku. They won't let us talk to them when we're dressed like ninjas. Civilian attire would be better."

"You're right Shikamaru Kun." Haku said as Shikamaru sported a brilliant blush. "Henges would be perfect."

From a nearby alley, three people, two boys and a girl, each with dark brown hair and onyx eyes walked out and started to walk around the village. Unbridled fury rose in each of them. Gato, that bastard, he would pay for his crimes. Believe it! A group of children were hovered around a small fire off to the side of the road. Over the fire, they were roasting a very small fish that would not be enough to feed all five of the kids. Quickly, Naruto summoned a shadow clone and had it shushin back to the pond near Tazuna's house to capture some more fish.

Shikamaru caught on to Naruto's plan and did the same. After some time, both of the boys' clones came back with twenty fish in their hands.

Naruto walked up to the five children crouched around the fire. "Hey! My name's Nara Naruto! Would you like some fish?" He asked, holding five fish out to the children. The kids stared at the fish, then at Naruto with fright. Naruto took in their expressions with a pang in his heart. Due to his childhood, he vowed never to let another child that he came across grow up in pain.

Naruto dropped his henge. This made the other boys even more scared. His eyes took on a very comforting look. He pulled the smallest of the boys towards him and sat down beside him. "Listen, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help. This headband," he said pointing to his hitai-ate, "Signifies that I'm a ninja from Konoha. My family and I, we're going to help you all. So please, take the fish. I swear that soon, you'll get a lot more than just fish. That's the promise of a lifetime." He sat there after distributing the fish to the hesitant boys. With a simple katon jutsu, he got the fire roaring again. The boys started to roast the fish over the fire. Naruto stared at the other boys and gently toyed with the hair of the boy in his lap. It seemed to be relaxing all of the boys.

Shikamaru smiled at his cousin's words. Haku looked at her cousin with awe. "When I hear Naruto talk, it just makes me want to believe him." She said. Shikamaru smirked at the girl. "That's Naruto's special power. He has the ability to change people with his words and his actions. _When_ he becomes Hokage, I swear to Kami that I'll do whatever he says and be the best adviser I can be to him." Haku silently nodded her agreement. The pair then went on to check the rest of the town out.

After they were done, the boys cautiously stared at the blonde before tackling him to the ground. "Naruto Nii Chan! Arigato!" It brought tears to Naruto's eyes to see the children thanking him because of fish. The smallest boy in his lap stared at Naruto for a long time. "I...I'm K.. K..Ke..n..nnji."

"Kenji?" Naruto asked.

The boy nodded. All the other kids stared at the runt in awe. "He did it! Kenji talked! Naruto Nii Chan, you're a miracle worker! Kenji never talked before." One of the boys cried. Naruto looked at the boy for a couple seconds before pulling him into a fatherly embrace. "All you needed was a little love. Use your voice, and change people." He whispered in Kenji's ear. Kenji smiled, a wide, toothy five year old smile. "H...H...a...ai!"

Soon afterwards, the five boys were happily munching away on their fish again. Naruto left them with a clone of his, in case anything happened. He then went to go find Haku and Shikamaru in his henged form again.

**Kit, hang on. Something's coming your way. Be careful.**

_Thanks Nii chan._

Naruto swirled around to find himself face to face with a very _very_ big, fat man. He was probably one of Gato's men. "Hey kid!" The bfm (Figure it out) called to him.** "**You're new here. It's protocol for each unregistered person who enters Wave Country to pay 120 ryo. If you don't have, then get out." The man had a raspy voice and smoke with a lisp.

Naruto looked at him disgustedly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his two cousins approaching him rapidly. "Listen kind sir, I don't intend to cause any problems here. Please, I don't have 120 ryo. I am simply visiting my family here and wish to see them soon. Please excuse me." With that, Naruto tried to push past the man but was stopped by a katana near his throat. This action got the attention of the townsfolk.** "**No kid, you listen. You're in our territory boy, so you play by our rules." Naruto smirked at this.

"Sir, technically Wave country is between Fire Country and Water Country meaning it is controlled by the Hokage and Mizukage. You clearly are not a shinobi, therefore you are not under a contract from either Kage. I may ask you what a mercenary like yourself is doing in a peaceful civilian village." Inwardly Naruto scoffed at his own words. This was not peaceful in the least.

Shikamaru and Haku smirked at their cousin's dismissal of the bfm. The man was steadily putting a tomato to shame with the color of his face. **"**Now listen here BRAT! Either you pay, or I'll kill you and your pitiful family." A crowd had gathered at Naruto's plight.

Naruto considered performing a vasectomy on the bfm right this very instant. Instead, he dropped the henge.

The man gaped at him for a second before scowling. "Shinobi. Should have known. So, why are you here? Do you want to pillage this pathetic town as well?"

The townspeople shook with fear.

Naruto looked at him with unrestrained hatred. "I would rather commit suicide than plunder a village filled with innocent men and women who have done absolutely nothing to anyone."

"Ha! They haven't paid their dues yet. We're simply taking what's ours." The bfm told Naruto.

Naruto spared one glance at the idiot. "**Kanashibari no Jutsu!" **The bfm was paralyzed. He couldn't move a muscle. The spectators watched in awe as Naruto pulled out a sealing scroll and performed a quick fuuinjutsu to seal the bfm inside of it.

Naruto looked at the gathered crowd. "My name is Nara Naruto and I am just here to help you along with my family. You may not trust us, or like us, or respect us. But we promise with all of our heart and soul. We will save all of you, even if it costs us our lives." With that he vanished in a pillar of flames.

Shikamaru and Haku glanced at the crowd. Then they vanished in a gust of wind and a vortex of water respectively.

* * *

><p>It took Shikamaru no time at all to track his cousin. Naruto was seated in front of the bfm who was tied to a tree with ropes. Oh boy...Naruto was pissed. You could literally see the rage flowing off of him in waves. No wonder the bfm was passed out.<p>

"Oi, Naru. Are you okay?" Shikamaru asked his cousin concernedly.

Naruto turned to look at Shikamaru. "No Shika. I'm not. Would you honestly be _alright_ if you saw the state that this town was in. To be honest with you, I want to kill this man so bad. He's one of the people who's been helping to destroy this village.**"**

"Naruto Kun, I know you may be upset, but we do need this man alive in order to get the answers we need. After that you can do whatever you want to him, and I'll help." Haku said as she cracked her knuckles menacingly.

Naruto glanced fondly at his newly acquired cousin. They would get along fabulously.

"You're right Haku Chan. I'll wake the bastard up." With that, Naruto punched the man square in the jaw so as to give him a jolt. It worked.

"Ugh. Where am I?" The man asked groggily. He looked around to see the faces of three murderous teenagers staring at him. The bfm paled. "H...He...hey now! Let me go!"

"Oh, and why would we possibly do that when you have the answers that we want?" Shikamaru asked venomously.

The man gulped. He was being faced with killing intent from three of the most sadistic people on earth. "A...alright I'll tell you. Just please, please let me go." His voice turned into a whisper.

The three of them turned to each other. All nodded slightly. "We'll think about it." They said in unison.

* * *

><p>Haku, Naruto, and Shikamaru returned to the house some two hours later. It was noon time by then. Ino came out to greet them. "So how was your adventure in town?"<p>

"Fine I guess." Shikamaru replied shortly. If Ino was startled by his curt response she didn't show it.

"What did you do?"

"Stuff."

"What kind of stuff."

"Fine stuff."

Now Ino was getting mad. Before she could speak out, Kakashi came and put a hand on her shoulder indicating for her to be quiet.

"How many Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto looked at Kakashi. "Fifty five." He replied, his voice devoid of life.

Kakashi glanced at the three children. They had blood on their clothes and hands. Haku's kimono was slightly torn in places while Shikamaru's mesh shirt was ripped. Naruto's navy blue undershirt was covered in a dark liquid. Three twelve year old kids had managed to kill fifty five men. It was a stomach churning thought, yet surprisingly accepted in the life of a shinobi.

"Fifty five what?" Chouji asked, coming to meet his friends as well.

There was a pause. Then, "The number of people we killed, Cho." Naruto said in a lifeless voice.

Chouji and Ino looked dumbstruck at the blonde, then at the brunette and raven. They had killed...fifty five people? In less than a day? Ino felt like puking at the notion that their three kind hearted friends could do something so appalling. But then again they were shinobi, and killing was a part of their lives as they would soon learn.

"Nii chan, we have information that we want to discuss with everyone." Shikamaru said in a small voice. No matter how many people he had killed, it never got easier for the kid.

Kakashi ruffled Shikamaru's hair affectionately. "Okay kiddo, let's go get everyone and sit together."

Naruto let out a small smile when Kakashi did the same thing to his and Haku's hair. It was in these times that Kakashi played the role of big brother and eased them out of their pain. And for that they were eternally grateful.

It took five minutes for everyone to become situated in the cramped kitchen. It was hard to do so when there were twelve people in a small room. The kids, including Inari ended up taking the floor while the adults sat at the kitchen table. A small fox came trotting through the door and nestled itself in Naruto's lap. It seems Kyuubi never went back in his seal.

"Alright Naruto, tell us what's going on and why you decided to kill all those people." Zabuza said. To those who hadn't heard what they had done, it was quite a shock.

Naruto looked over at the other two who gave him a slight nod. He took a deep breath. "We went into town disguised as civilians, hoping to find out why the town was in shambles. After some time, I came across a man who demanded a small amount of money just so I could 'enter' the town. Within minutes, I had him sealed in a scroll and shushinned him to another location. Shikamaru and Haku found me, and after a five minutes, he admitted to a heck of a lot of things."

"Naruto San, how exactly did you get this man to come clean?" Shino asked.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Shikamaru and I used...Morino Ibiki's favorite torture method."

The two jonins and Ino winced. Morino Ibiki was the resident sadist in Konoha. Even Anko didn't come close to his level of sadism.

"Morino Ibiki? Who is that?" Shino inquired.

"Morino Ibiki is the head of the TI department in ANBU. He likes torture a lot, and I guess that Naruto and Shikamaru have picked up some of his _ahem_ methods." Asuma replied. A lot would be an understatement. This guy lived for torture.

"Erm, yeh. We might have stuck kunais into his hand when he didn't answer our questions." Shikamaru said sheepishly.

The fox in Naruto's lap raised it's head and looked Shikamaru directly in the eye.

"**I'm so proud of you Kit!" **Kyuubi projected to Shikamaru**  
><strong>

_"What?"_

"**You've finally realized that torture is the way to go!"**

_"You and Ibiki-San would get along fabulously."_

"So after that, Haku used the hidden mist technique to completely scare the pathetic wimp into confessing the intimate details of Gato's plans." Naruto continued.

"Like father like daughter." Zabuza grinned a canine grin. Haku smiled warmly at her father as he rumpled her hair. Everyone else sweatdropped. Naruto sure had a sadistic family.

"We...we found out things we didn't want to. Bad things. Like what they did to women and children..." Naruto trailed off. Everyone except Inari knew what they were talking about, and it sickened them.

"I snapped, and so did Shikamaru. Haku took it a little better than us, but in the end it was her who killed the most number of those..._monsters. _They didn't deserve to live after we saw what was going on. Those men, they raped and killed thirty three innocent women _and _children. _" _Naruto said. His voice shook as he continued. "The man, before we...killed him. He told us where one of Gato's bases was. This was the base that dealt with intercepting all goods that came way of Wave Country. It's the reason why your country is in such a bedraggled state." Naruto paused and looked at Tsunami and Tazuna. They were absolutely furious.

"When we reached the base..." Naruto's voice was trembling. Haku picked up where he left off. "We were all in disguise. The men there never noticed us. But we noticed them. They were...with the women...I..I just couldn't look at what they were doing. Pain. That was what those women were in. Agony, rage, helplessness. All those emotions were running through me as a girl. I couldn't imagine what those women were going through. And then...it happened. Something broke inside of me...inside of all three of us. And five minutes later, they were all lying dead. We had blood all over us, tainting yet purging as well. The women, they ran, but not before giving us all frightened looks and some looks of gratitude." Haku finished, eying her audience.

The others understood why they did it. Haku couldn't go into too much detail because Inari was still in the room, but the things they must have seen in that base, they must have been disgusting for them to act in such a way.

"We have something else to tell you." Shikamaru said and everyone turned his way.

"Gato is planning on attacking the bridge that Tazuna-San is building in five days time, that's earlier then what we expected. He's hired some guy named Aoi Rokusho to kill Tazuna because he thinks Zabuza Oji-San is dead."

Kakashi and Asuma exchanged looks. Aoi Rokusho was a low S-Rank Jonin Nuke Nin from Konoha. He had stolen **Raijin_, _**the blade of the Nidaime Hokage. There would be no doubt that Kakashi and Asuma could take him, but Gato could have hired more nins. They would have to start their respective training tomorrow.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. "Naruto. That man, Aoi Rokusho is relatively strong. We need to start training right away. Also, one more thing, he has your great uncle's sword in his possession. We have to get that back right away. It is a relic of Konoha history."

"Raijin?" Naruto gasped. Kakashi nodded. "He stole it when we were very weak, nearly thirteen years ago if you know what I mean."

Naruto frowned. So directly after the nine-tailed attack this little idiot had decided to take the Nidaime's sword huh? "Kaka Nii, no matter what, I'll get Tobirama Jii Sama's sword back."

"I know you will." Was his cousin's reply. "Saving this country is in our goal at the moment. We, as your senseis expect you to train very hard in order to beat the people who are trying to hurt it. Do you all understand?" Kakashi asked the kids, deadly serious.

"HAI!" Was their answer.

"Good. Well then, for the rest of the day, you can do whatever you want because tomorrow starts a _very _hard regiment." Asuma said.

Everyone gulped. There was no doubting the man's words. However it was necessary in order to beat the people who had dilapidated this town-those bastards.

Tsunami broke the uneasy silence that followed. "Well, I've made lunch for one and all, so let's eat!"

"Hai Tsunami San!" Chouji eagerly got up and nearly sprinted to the kitchen table. The rest of them chortled as they saw their big boned friend so enthusiastic, Shino included-though you couldn't see.

Inari stayed behind and waited for Naruto to enter the kitchen before pulling on the hem of his bloodied shirt. The others discreetly looked at what was going on.

Naruto looked down surprised. "Ah, Inari-Kun, is there something you need?" He asked.

Inari looked sheepishly at the ground. "Ano, I want to apologize to you..."

Naruto was taken aback. "For what exactly? As far as I know you haven't done anything...unless you sold out your family to Gato." Naruto said in a half serious half joking manner.

"What! No of course not! It's just...I'm sorry for doubting you." He said quietly.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I've only known you for less than a day, how can you doubt me?"

Inari gazed into Naruto's eyes-onyx met azure. "I'm sorry that I didn't trust you when you first came here. I thought that no one could beat Gato because...because that man killed my dad in front of the entire village."

Naruto's stomach clenched. No wonder the poor kid was so cold to him when they first saw each other. To have your father be _murdered_ in front of you, that was devastating.

"He...cut off his arms when my dad, Kaiza, opposed Gato. Since that day I lost all hope that we can ever be saved. My dad always told me that heroes existed. After he died I cried...begged...pleaded for Kami to bring us another hero. But it never worked. When you guys came, I was dead set that there was no such things as a hero. Now I'm not so sure. What you and your cousins did for us in one day has been more than what anyone's done for us in three years. So I'm sorry for doubting you." Inari bowed his head low.

Naruto stared at Inari for a while. He was silent as he contemplated all that Inari had told him. "Kid. Heroes do exist. They exist in the tiniest of forms like blood cells that fight off infections in our bodies, saving us. Or they exist in real people like me and you. I'll let you in on a little secret. My dad and my mom died protecting me from a very evil man. The last thing they said to me was "We'll always love you, Naruto." And I was only three hours old at the time. I never had the love of parents growing up, but my precious people, they made up for that. My cousins, Shikamaru and Kakashi, they were always there for me when I needed the love along with so many others. To me, they are my heroes. They saved me from the hell of growing up alone. When you have people to protect, you will grow truly strong. This is what my other cousin Haku says. And she's absolutely correct. A hero is born, not when the world is at peace, but when there is strife and turmoil. You will become a hero. Mark my words."

Inari looked at him with wide eyes. He would become a hero?

Naruto crouched down to Inari's level. "Your dad was a hero for what he did. He died a good man. So become the hero that this village needs. What say you and I take Gato and his men down?"

Inari had tears in his eyes. Naruto straightened and was about to turn around when Inari flung himself on Naruto, hugging him around the midriff. Naruto's eyes widened, but then he placed his hand on Inari's head, and ruffled his hair, just like Kakashi had done to him so many times in the past. Right now, the roles were reversed. Inari didn't even mind that Naruto's shirt was caked with blood.

"Naruto nii-chan. Arigato." Inari whispered loud enough for Naruto to hear.

Naruto smiled. "Your welcome, Otouto." He replied.

* * *

><p>In the kitchen, Tsunami and Tazuna stared at the blonde with eyes the size of dinner plates. The girls had gasped when they heard Inari's story about his dad. Gato was truly a tyrant.<p>

"He...he...he is a miracle!" Tazuna exclaimed. Never once had Inari spoken that way to anyone, let alone a stranger.

"Eh, what do you mean? He's just Naruto. He does this all the time. You should have seen what he did for the orphans in town today." Shikamaru said lazily.

"Huh, what happened?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah, it was nothing really Nii chan. Don't worry about it." Naruto said, entering the kitchen with Inari. "I only talked with some street kids and gave them food. Nothing at all."

"I'm sure whatever you did was great Naruto. But right now, why don't the three of you go take showers or I'll douse you with a suiton jutsu. You're all filthy and smell like blood." Zabuza said.

"Mou! I'm hungry Oji San. At least let us eat something!" Naruto whined.

"Ah! Spoken like a true Uzumaki. Listen to your stomach before your senses. Well fine, but only this time. You three stink more than a pig sty." Zabuza said.

"Are you sure that the Uzumaki and Akimichi aren't related?" Ino asked. Chouji looked at her, seemingly offended. He was stuffing his face with food at the moment though, so he didn't say anything.

"Funny that you say that. Well actually, there is a very distant connection between the Uzumaki and Akimichi, but the relation is considered negligible, so to answer your question, not really. But then again, most clans are derived from the Uzumaki, Senju, and Uchiha clans. If it's one thing that our two clans have in common, it's the appetite." Zabuza told all of them

Chouji, Haku, and Naruto looked at each other in awe. "Well Cho, now I know why we are such gluttons." Naruto said as he heaped his plate high with onigiri and fish.

"Speak for yourself Naruto. I'm not a glutton. I just need a lot of food to sustain my metabolism." Chouji replied with his mouth full.

"Ano, excuse me Naruto-San. Does your...fox want anything to eat?" Tsunami asked.

Naruto looked down surprised at "his" fox.

"Um, sure, why not." Naruto said hesitantly.

Tsunami set down a plate full of raw fish in front of Kyuubi and gently patted his head. To those who knew who he was, they were stifling laughter at the sight of the King of Makkai being treated like an ordinary animal...and enjoying it.

* * *

><p>After lunch, all was relatively quiet. Shikamaru and Naruto were using the shadows to create shapes to amuse Haku and Inari. Kyuubi had decided to return to the seal because he was sleepy from all the food. The three ninja adults were discussing future plans for the upcoming fight. Ino and Chouji were lazing around by the lake nearby, walking on the water to improve chakra control while having a water fight simultaneously. Tomorrow would be a long tiring day so it was best if they relaxed for one day. Four days of intense training didn't sound very appealing.<p>

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Konoha, the Sandaime Hokage was reading over the documents that his only female student and Sannin had sent him. Naruto had asked him to send Mizuki's body to Tsunade and Shizune. The results were quite frightening. From the fight he had seen between Naruto and Mizuki, it seemed like Mizuki had animal DNA infused with his own bloodstream, no doubt that was due to the fact he had drank some potion concocted by Orochimaru himself. And his assumption payed off. Tsunade's analysis had said that this substance that Mizuki had ingested used some of Orochimaru's own DNA, venom, and blood, along with that of animals. Actually, it was animal chromosomes that were being used. And when those chromosomes entered the users bloodstream, they at first mingled and seemed to enhance the users abilities. However, the body then would try to reject the incoming blood and chromosomes. The body would think that a disease was attacking the body, and try to fend for itself.<p>

In essence, the body would attack itself leading to an instantaneous death once the effects wore off. Naruto had said that there was snake venom in Mizuki's blood stream, and eventually that venom would spread to the heart causing the aorta to burst leading to death. This was accurate for the most part. Tsunade had said that in reality, the venom would travel to all the tenketsu points, and seal them. When the venom was mixed with Orochimaru's blood, it would become more potent. With all the tenketsus sealed, the user would recieve no chakra and have no self healing abilities. The bursting of the aorta was just a side effect of having all the tenketsu points sealed. It was like the Hyuuga Jyuuken (gentle fist) in a bottle. Every user would surely die. It's like Orochimaru had no worries as to what happened to his test subjects

This was most disturbing information. How had his wayward student strayed from the path of righteousness so much? _It's my fault. He was my favorite. I should have killed him back then. _Hiruzen's thoughts consumed him. He had three students, the snake, the slug, and the toad. By nature, snakes and toads hate each other while the slug tends to lean towards the toad. The toad and the slug had married, but had no children. The student of the toad, his own nephew became the next toad and Hokage of Konoha. The new toad had married the whirlpool and given birth to the maelstrom. The maelstrom would bring about a great change in the world with his loyal shadow by his side.

_And so the cycle repeats itself._ Without a doubt, Naruto and Shikamaru would lead the change into the next shinobi era. Those two together were a force to be reckoned with. They would bring Orochimaru down, he'd bet all of his porn on it.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

**"Alright my wayward troops. Don't stop! That's right Haku, keep your fist out and legs bent...no the other way, ah yes! Today begins the ultimate test of whether or not your pathetic prune like bodies are in shape or not. Kakashi! Stand tall boy. Do not slouch and for Kami's sake, put that damned book away!"**

Kyuubi was a slave driver. No arguments there.

Their day had started at 7:00 exactly. The Nara/Uzumaki/Hatake family was woken _very _violently with tiny fires lighting their hair on fire. Kitsune's had a crude sense of humor after all. Asuma was taking his three genins to train somewhere else. Kakashi and him had agreed on this the previous night.

Breakfast was a hurried affair. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Haku had bid farewell to the others and followed a fox, Kakashi, and Zabuza out the door to a secluded area.

Kyuubi had turned into his 'human' form, which consisted of a tall frame of 6'3-two inches taller than Kakashi, red hair, and red eyes. He was garbed in a crimson and black cloth with the Kanji of **Makkai **running down the back of the cloak he was wearing. All in all, he looked like the red haired, eviler version of Namikaze Minato.

At the moment, they had been _trying _to get the basics of **Kitsune-Ken** down, but it was extremely difficult. So in light of that, Kakashi had adopted his normally lazy persona, something that was amplified while living with the Naras, and pissed Kyuubi off.

"Hm, did you say something?" Kakashi said, flipping a page. In response, he was met with a great blast of fire that destroyed Icha Icha tactics.

Horrified, Kakashi fell to his knees shaking. "M...My precious! She's gone!" Zabuza walked up to Kakashi and laid a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. There was nothing worse than losing the precious porn. His own daughter had pierced at least three copies of his book with ice senbons. He knew of Kakashi's pain, and it was not a good thought. "I know how you feel nephew, don't let it get you down. SO c'mon! Stand up again, straighten your shoulders, and let's finish this goddamn training so you can get the extra volume you carry around out!"

Kakashi looked at Zabuza with tears in his visible eye. "Oji San, you truly are a man who can understand this loss. Thank you for pulling me out of my two minute funk."

"No problem kid." Zabuza replied as he pulled Kakashi to his feet.

The rest of those watching had huge sweatdrops on their heads. This was one messed up family. Kyuubi was the overbearing father, Zabuza was the father's younger brother who acted like a kid himself. Kakashi was the oldest brother, who had not matured since the age of fifteen. And the remaining three were the fraternal triplets who kept the family level headed. An odd bunch who were tied together by sigma bonds. Strong standing alone, unbreakable together. That is, _if_ Kyuubi decided that they actually _needed_ their bodies to survive and they weren't a pile of mush by the time this tortu...er ...training was complete.

Just getting the basics down was difficult enough. You see, Kitsune Ken was developed by Kyuubi himself, and utilized his own original powers to make this complete. It was an offensive and defensive based taijutsu, unlike the **Goken** which was primarily offensive. Each move was more like a dance pose rather than martial arts. The body had to be very lithe and supple, which was a necessity for a ninja, then it could be contorted to any shape-that part was the hard part.

So for the past four hours, the five of them were training rigorously to achieve a proficient level in the twelve basic poses. The twelve basic poses were actually the only positions that Kitsune Ken used. But when they were combined together, new forms were made. From twelve poses, an infinite number of combinations were created, and it was for this reason that the style was so difficult to use. The training for them would most likely last for a few years or so, less if they used Kage Bunshin.

**"Naruto! Do that again! When you are transitioning from Rat to Pig, remember, _thrust the right leg out while rolling your weight to the left_, not the other way 'round idiot!"**

"Then why don't you do it smartass." Naruto grumbled under his breath. He was sweating profusely. These were possibly the weirdest positions anyone could ever come up with. Then again, it was Kyuubi who was the creator, things were bound to be weird.

Shikamaru and Haku were having similar problems. They were working on the partner stance-where one person is in the Ox position and the other is in the Snake. The Ox and the Snake would complement each other to create a impenetrable form. Of course this led to many awkward moments between Haku and Shikamaru because of their intimate positions with each other.

Kyuubi was having just about enough with his pack. They were idiots, well except for Haku. She was a keeper. The rest of the idiotic males could go, though he wasn't too sure Shikamaru would be happy with that.

"**Alright! Stop! All of you. Just stop butchering the style that I worked so hard to create you snot nosed brats."** The family bristled at that comment. They weren't Konohamaru's for crying out loud! "**I'll work with each of you individually without using any clones. So Shikamaru! You're up first boy. Everyone else just sit down."**

Shikamaru groaned in exasperation. He was already so tired from over exerting himself. This was all so troublesome. But he couldn't really do anything when the King of Makkai was holding a whip made out of fire ready to lash out at any time if even a toe was out of line. Troublesome indeed my friend.

The other four sank in to the grass with welcome relief. They knew better than to make fun of Shikamaru's pitiful plight. All were nearing exhaustion, even the veterans like Zabuza and Kakashi. Kyuubi knew that the two of them had better stamina than the kids and so he had worked them nearly twice as had as the children. Right now, they would rest while they could and worry about the state of their broken bodies later.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, Shikamaru appeared in a swirl of leaves. Kyuubi was behind him, a benign expression on his face. He plopped down next to Haku, beads of sweat dripping down his face and onto his now bare chest. It was just too hot to keep a shirt on. Haku appraised the teen with appreciative eyes. He certainly was quite handsome, and the coming years would make him more so. She didn't know just what to categorize Shikamaru as yet. Family? Friends? He was Naruto's cousin, as was she. He called Zabuza "Oji-San" just like Kakashi and Naruto did. She had these new unexplored feelings pulsing throughout her. These were feelings that cousins most certainly didn't have for each other. Time would define everything. She would just wait and see what would happen.<p>

"Oi Naruto, you're next. Good luck cousin, because you're sure as hell going to need it." Shikamaru panted.

Naruto gulped. This style was primarily meant for him. Sure the others could utilize it, but only on a taijutsu level. Kitsune Ken, although it was called "Fox Fist", was also a jutsu style as well. Not _ninjutsu_ per say, but more like spells. Because Naruto had Kyuubi sealed in him, he would be able to use the spells that Kyuubi created and fully use the style to it's full potential.

"**Let's go kit. We're burning daylight here." **Kyuubi said. He grabbed Naruto by the collar of his undershirt and they vanished.

For the next twenty three minutes, all Haku, Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Zabuza could hear was the pitiful screams of a young boy coupled with the manic laughter of a deranged fox/man/demon entity. They all winced at the torture that their nephew/cousin was going through. And for once, they thanked the merciful Kami that it wasn't them in Naruto's position.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, not far from where Naruto was, Shino, Asuma, Ino, and Chouji were all training as well. Asuma had them working on increasing their reserves by standing on water or balancing on leaves. He had given them the element test as well and discovered that Shino was lightning, Chouji was earth, and Ino was water. It was quite poetic actually. Lightning, silent yet deadly-the assassin type. Exactly like Shino. It comes as a flash of light and electricity, quick as a bullet, and as precise as a bulls-eye. Earth-immovable, large, rock. Chouji practically embodied that element. His vast intake of food was due to the fact that he needed a tremendous amount of protein to maintain his metabolism. Chouji was the one that would hold everyone together-he was the binding agent. Water was smooth, fluid, and constant, just like Ino. She was graceful, so much that it looked like she was dancing every time she sparred. Her personality mirrored that of water as well. At times it was calm and peaceful, while when provoked it became violent and choppy.<p>

Asuma couldn't have asked for a better team. They were his to nurture and raise, like younger brothers or sisters. He had his rock, his assassin, and his tactical analyzer-Ino. She would be the one to break their enemy because of her unique bloodline.

All of a sudden, the four of them heard an ear-piercing scream from somewhere beyond the woods.

"Did you hear that?" Chouji asked, frightened that there may be a wild animal on the loose.

"Yeah, it sounded surprisingly like...Naruto." Ino replied.

"Naruto...the poor bastard. I hope that if it is him, he's alright." Asuma said.

Shino looked on. It did sound like Naruto. What could be happening that had made someone like Naruto cry out like that? Oh my lovely Shino Chan, you _really_ don't want to know.

* * *

><p>The next three days of training went on the same way they had before. <strong>They were bloody torture.<strong> And this was Kyuubi going easy on them. Every night, they would all come home beaten to a bloody pulp. When anyone asked them what had happened, they simply replied that it was a training accident but they all knew it wasn't. By the end of their short training session, thanks to numerous Kage Bunshins, all five of them had perfected the twelve basic positions. It was contorting your body from one shape to the next that was difficult. Kakashi and Zabuza had advanced the most, partly because they were used to the taxing labor that was training. The cousins were struggling to master the first form -_The Dance of the Crane_. By nature, Crane's were fast and graceful. The first form was that of controlling speed and making the body lithe. It was easier said than done.

Kakashi and Zabuza had moved on the the next form, _The Rat's Tail. _While the previous form was about speed, the second form was about stealth. A rat had the ability to remain undetected even under the most adverse of situations. This, for any trained ninja was the easiest of all of them. The form utilized the 'hidden in plain sight' tactic. It was all about manipulation. The hand movements that were used in the form actually created a hypnotic mentality for the opponent. This created the 'invisibility' like allusion. It was highly more effective than any genjutsu because a genjutsu could be broken simply by forcing chakra out to distort the user's chakra. But there was no chakra used here, only hand motions.

In the same way, the other three genin had had their hands full as well. Each night, if they weren't too tired, the six of them met and discussed what they had learned with each other. Ino was helping Shikamaru, Naru, and Haku train their bodies to be light and supple. In terms of fighting, they were more like Chouji or Shino, carefully analyzing, then rushing in like a boulder. Shino and Chouji were helping them improve their speed by throwing kunai at ridiculous speeds and forcing them to dodge. It was like Anko's sadistic 'play time' all over again, but less intense.

Shino had come to Naruto asking him if he could help him improve his chakra reserves. Naruto had willingly complied and started Shino out on learning Kage Bunshins. Kage Bunshins, Naruto had reasoned, was the technique of splitting your chakra reserves evenly. Once you could do a Kage Bunshin, you could basically be two places at once. Anything that the clones would do the original would get the memories of. It killed two birds in one stone. It would increase reserves and chakra control as well.

Shino had managed to get one Kage Bunshin out before collapsing to the ground. When Naruto had demonstrated for him, he had made a hundred or so. When he asked why it was so difficult, Naruto said that the more chakra you have the easier it is to create.

So Shino had diligently gotten to work on his Kage Bunshins. Just by producing one, he had increased his chakra capacity by nearly double. He was so pleased, that he immediately set off to make two clones this time.

Even Inari had taken part of some training. Haku had marked a tree with a bulls-eye and given Inari some kunai to throw at it. He was progressing gradually, and he was ecstatic.

Haku, Shikamaru, and Naruto periodically ventured into town to see what effect destroying the base had. For the most part, security seemed to be the same. The orphans had taken an immense liking to Haku and Shikamaru as well when Naruto introduced them. Kenji, the small boy loved Haku's lap, something that Naruto found hilarious and Shikamaru found slightly disgruntling.

But now training was over. They had a battle to fight and a country to save.

* * *

><p>"Naruto! Shikamaru! Haku! Leave Kage Bunshins here at the house in case something happens." Zabuza yelled over his shoulder.<p>

"Hai!"

"Alright everyone. Gear up. Now listen, chances are, this fight won't last too long. It's nine of us versus one ninja, that is if Gato hasn't hired more plus some hundred or so mercenaries. But be careful and never let your guard down. Is that clear?" Asuma asked.

"Hai Sensei!" Was the resonating cry.

"Be careful all of you. Come back here in one piece, please?" Tsunami said tearfully. Tazuna placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small wave.

"Don't worry Tsunami. With these ninja protecting me, nothing will go wrong. I assure you." Tazuna said. Inari gave him a hug before giving all of the ninja, including Zabuza a hug as well.

"Naruto Nii-Chan, you gave me the hope that everything is going to be alright. Come home safely to us all!"

"Don't worry Inari. We won't get hurt. That I promise of you." He placed a hand on Inari's hair and gently ruffled it.

"Okay! Let's go." Kakashi said.

"Keep your senses alert folks. You never know what might happen." Asuma said.

With that the nine ninja and one civilian turned to look at the two people still standing at the house along with ten Kage Bunshin. With one final wave, they were off.

"They'll be okay, right mama?" Inari asked when they were out of sight.

"Of course they will darling. Of course they will."

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter: The Battle on the Bridge. Fourth chapter done! Finally! So how was it? Good? Bad? or Ugly? <strong>


	5. The Battle on the Bridge

**Fifth Chapter ftw! Sorry it took so long to update... Thanks for all the positive reviews! It's touching. (teardrop). So this is the conclusion to the wave arc. This is ridiculously fun to write and I hope you give me suggestions on anything you guys deem important that has to be done. Right, so Gato's gonna take a beating. And when they get back to Konoha, changes are going to be made. Also, it may seem that Naruto and the others are ruthless killers at some point, but you have to remember that this isn't the same Naruto as canon. He's more mature and has killed previously. Oh and by the way, the Kyuubi trained shinobi don't use their training...Idiots. So just sit back, enjoy, and read.**

**One reviewer asked for the ages of everyone...Here they are**

**Naruto: 12 (In canon he was 12-13)  
>Shikamaru: 12<br>Haku: 12 (In Canon, he was 14-15)  
>Shino: 12<br>Ino: 12  
>Chouji: 12<br>Kiba: 12  
>Sasuke and Sakura: 12<br>Zabuza: 34  
>Kakashi: 25 (26-27 in canon)<br>Asuma: 26  
>Gai: 28 (Gai always seemed older than Kakashi even though they are about the same age)<br>Kurenai: 24  
>Anko: 24<br>Iruka: 22  
>Jiraiya: 51<br>Tsunade: 51  
>Hiruzen: 68<strong>

**Ja-ne!**

**Oh and justareader07-I tend to have that effect on people...**

* * *

><p>The nine ninjas plus Tazuna were walking at a civilian's pace. This was best for all of them, and not just Tazuna. It would give them the chance to analyze the situation carefully and take in the most miniscule of details. The walk to the bridge would generally take half an hour, but with all the stipulations that they had to follow, it became more like an hour.<p>

The bridge would be magnificent when it was complete without a doubt. Tazuna had tremendous talent. From what they had seen before though, it seemed like his men were deserting him left and right, more so in the past couple of days. They were getting anxious. The mercenaries were getting more and more rowdy, and their was only so much that they could do. To protect their families, they would give up the best paying job in the entire village. But as of today, it would all change.

At long last, they entered the bridge area. Asuma had several of his clones scouting the land ahead and behind. Pakkun and the other nin dogs were doing a small recon on the places that their scent was on.

Tazuna looked at his abandoned bridge with pity. Not a single worker had showed up to their jobs. It was sad really. The others had to agree with his sentiments.

"Well, welcome to my bridge..." Tazuna whispered.

All was quiet. As was to be expected at 8:32 in the morning. But it was too quiet. Eerily quiet. Shinobi quiet. Everyone was on guard. This man, Rokusho Aoi was not to be underestimated. He would come, no doubt for Kakashi or Asuma because they had once served as fellow Konoha Nin together.

"Guys, I've got something. A small platoon of roughly thirty three men is approaching. They haven't had contact with any of my clones yet. Stand guard. Shino, Haku, guard Tazuna. Naruto, frontal assault along with Kakashi. Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, stop anyone who comes this way. Background now! " Asuma commanded. "Myself and Zabuza will assist Naruto and Kakashi."

"Hai!" Quickly, they got into their positions. Adrenaline rushed through the children's veins. It would be the chance to test out their training skills.

* * *

><p>And then they came, in three regiments of eleven. Thirty three men with Rokusho Aoi leading them, <strong>Raijin<strong> in hand.

Naruto growled at seeing his great uncle's sword in the hand of the traitor. Kakashi put a restraining hand on his cousin's shoulder to prevent him from doing something rash. Naruto relaxed ever so slightly.

Aoi analyzed his opponents with a disdainful eye. Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy Nin along with Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Hokage himself. And then there was Momochi Zabuza and his bitch of an accomplice. They had switched over eh? But how had they known that Aoi and his group would attack now? Zabuza was informed that the attack would happen five days from now. Did they actually think that nine ninja who had to guard a liability (Tazuna) could win? Well not on his watch. He then saw what he thought were two Yamanakas, an Aburame, a Nara, and an Akimichi. The bridge builder was guarded by the bitch and the Aburame.

"Well well well. What do we have here? Nani Zabuza-Kun, you were alive and never told us eh? And now you're working for the other side? Hn, how much are they paying you? I'm sure we had a more enticing offer for you." Aoi taunted.

Zabuza growled. _Don't attack him yet, he's just trying to rile you up. _"I'm sure you did too, Rokusho. But what can I say, this side just seems so much more..._comforting_. If you know what's best for you, go home. You can't win against us, no matter how many mercenaries you bring."

"Don't fuck with me traitor. I'm not the only shinobi that Gato hired. They aren't as skilled as I am, but they are more than enough to take care of the pathetic genin that you have with you." Aoi retorted.

Naruto's fury was increasing with every increasing second. That bastard was waving _his_ ancestor's sword around like he owned it.

"Your skill is nothing to praise Rokusho. The only reason why you are labeled as an S-Rank Nuke nin in the bingo book is because you have that sword in your hands. How dare you desecrate Konoha history."

Aoi scoffed. "You lousy meddling Yamanaka. Clearly the shinobi title is all a game to you. It's either kill or be killed. This is reality boy. I can do whatever the hell I want, even if it means leaving my village to attain my goals."

Naruto gazed at the man disgustedly. "First of all, I'm a Nara, not a Yamanaka. Secondly, you pledged an oath to Konoha. That oath cannot be broken. Leaving your village is the highest of all treason, and the punishment is death."

"A blonde Nara eh? Well there's a first for everything I suppose. And I couldn't give a damn about the Hidden Leaf. They haven't given me a goddamn thing. For all I care, the second coming of the Kyuubi could happen and destroy Konoha and I won't bat an eyelash."

**I'm gonna fucking murder this asshole! Naruto, let me out! **Kyuubi screamed mentally.

_You always taught me that patience was a virtue. So just wait a bit._

**Hn. Do what you want...But make a bloody mess out of him. I'll help.**

_Oh, don't worry, I will._

"Well that's not going to happen any time soon, so the Leaf won't be destroyed." Asuma said, glancing at Naruto who gave him a wry smile in return.

"Not yet at least. Do you know how many nations are itching to destroy the Leaf? Iwa is one, for obvious reasons, and Kumo seems neutral, but you never know. I heard about this new one called Oto, it seems to really hate you guys." Aoi said snidely.

_Oto, that's the one that Mizuki-Teme went to and came out of all loony. Orochimaru...? _Naruto thought.

Kakashi looked at Aoi surprised. "Why the hell are you telling us that?"

Aoi smirked. "Ha. Well, consider it a present. You'll die with the knowledge of knowing why your village is going to be demolished."

The others scoffed at him. "You have the gall to think that you and some weak shinobi can kill us? Don't fuck with us man." Chouji said. He was also getting irritated by this idiot.

"We'll see about that Akimichi, we'll see. But enough talking. It's time to kill." Aoi made some quick hand motions and thirty or so shinobi, all sporting Iwa headbands appeared.

"Kill them now!" Aoi roared.

And the fight began.

* * *

><p>Shino and Haku took defensive positions around Tazuna. Naruto and Kakashi readied themselves for the frontal assault while the rest spread themselves out to back up Naruto and Kakashi and help stop anyone who tried to reach Tazuna.<p>

Kakashi lifted his headband up to reveal the reason why he was so feared in the elemental nations. The sharingan spun wildly, making some of his opponents cringe because of the fact that they were fighting _the_ Sharingan no Kakashi.

Zabuza hefted **Kubikiri Houcho** onto his shoulder, preparing to wield it.

Asuma got out his trench knives that he fused with wind chakra, making them cut through anything.

The two sides rushed at each other in a frenzy. Blood, crimson liquid spattered on the shinobi's clothing as they viciously killed, leaving no survivors.

The mercenaries were armed with only axes and knives. They were trying to hack their way through the shinobi forces.

Ino used shuriken to hit two of the fatal pressure points on an incoming shinobi. He crumpled to the ground silently.

Furious, two of his comrades, ganged up on the poor girl. But Ino was not a poor girl. Oh no. Yamanaka Ino was the daughter to the Head of the Yamanaka Clan. She was the bad ass girl of the academy, even if only a few people knew that.

"Shikamaru! Bind them now!" There was a reason as to why Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza were all on the same team so long ago. Shikaku would restrain, Inoichi would confuse, and Chouza would crush them all.

Shikamaru had just killed off an opposing mercenary. He immediately understood Ino's request and put his hands in the Rat Seal.

**"Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu!" **(Shadow Neck Bind Technique). The men froze in place.

"My...neck...can't...breathe...!" One of the men choked out. Ino gave a quick thanks to Shikamaru and thrust kunai into their heads.

She breathed out heavily. It wasn't that she was tired or anything. It's just taking your first kill(s) is mentally taxing.

"Thanks Shika. It helped a lot." Ino said.

"No problem Ino. Oh, and by the way. It's best if you let it out after the fights. Naruto and I like to go into the Forest of Death and kill some of the giant spiders. It gets better over time, trust me."

Ino smiled at her surrogate brother. "Arigato." And then she went on attacking the others who all just seemed to love her so much that they wanted to kill her.

* * *

><p>Shino and Haku had to guard a terrified Tazuna from five oncoming Iwa ninjas.<p>

"Haku-San, I think now would be a great time to use your bloodline." Shino said panting as he fended off attacks.

"I couldn't agree with you more Shino-San." Haku replied. She took a deep breath and gathered the water and wind necessary for the jutsu. "Ikuzo! **Makyo Hyosho!" **(Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors)

All of a sudden, the five ninjas were surrounded by mirrors.

"Oi, try using a Katon jutsu or something. It's just ice, it'll melt." One of the Iwa shinobi told his comrade.

"Yosh! **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) The burst of fire immediately dissipated in the mirrors.

"Nani! That should have worked perfectly. Then why?" The creator of the jutsu cried.

"It's impossible to break my mirrors." Came a disembodied voice.

The Iwa nin whirled around, trying to find the owner, but to no avail. Instead, they were hit with a barrage of senbons.

"What the hell? Did you see that? Hang on, there she is." One of the Iwa nin had seven senbons protruding from him.

"Where?"

"There, in that mirror!"

"**Doton: Doryuudan! **(Earth Release: Earth Dragon Projectile)" The earth dragon bounced off of the mirrors and the mirrors remained undamaged.

"What kind of jutsu is this? It's impossible to pierce!" Another round of senbons came flying at them from no where.

"Did you idiots not listen to me? My jutsu is impossible to beat. Why waste your time?" The disembodied voice said once again. This time, the Iwa Shinobi saw the girl move from one mirror to the next. They tried to pierce her with their kunai, but she was too fast.

"Kuso! What should we do Jishin?"

The man named Jishin swiftly avoided some more senbons. "I'm not sure Hanataro. There has to be some weakness here we can exploit right? We just have to dodge those damned senbon some more. Even if you're hurt now, don't worry, she's going to run out of senbon pretty soon."

Haku sighed. Why didn't they understand that there was no way out. She had to end this. Shino was defending Tazuna by himself. "Do you really think that I intend for myself to run out of senbon? I think not. Take this: **Kage Senbon no Jutsu!**"

The men paled as thousands of senbon came hurtling towards them. They couldn't escape in time. There were too many to dodge.

Haku had a look of satisfaction, the same one Zabuza had when he killed someone he particularly disliked. Then men all fell to the floor with senbons protruding from their bodies; every senbon had pierced vital tenketsus. They were dead.

She quickly got rid of the mirrors and saw Shino standing there, bloodied and battered with Chouji by his side, protecting Tazuna.

"Shino-San!" Haku cried out, killing off another offending shinobi.

"I'm fine, Haku-San, really. These are just scratches." Shino was pale and bleeding profusely from a wound on the side of his leg. But the shear amount of determination in the boy's eyes mirrored that of Naruto.

Haku grimaced at him but let him be. She gave Chouji a look, and they both began attacking once more.

* * *

><p>Simultaneous cries of <strong>"Kage Nui!" <strong>could be heard from two opposite sides of the bridge. Naruto and Kakashi were currently blocking off blows from ten Iwa shinobi as well as another seven or so mercenaries. Even if the mercenaries couldn't use jutsus, it didn't mean that they couldn't hurt the cousins either.

Naruto and Shikamaru had the task of binding the oncoming mercenaries/shinobi while Zabuza, Kakashi, and Asuma killed them off. This situation couldn't get any worse. Every time they killed off shinobi, more would appear because Aoi would keep calling platoons in. It was infuriating to no end.

Everyone was feeling the pinch, even the older shinobi. Haku had several tears in her kimono along with some cuts lining her back from when she was caught unexpected. Ino had similar injuries and she looked like she was suffering from chakra depletion. Chouji and Shino had nasty gashes on their legs and arms from a particularly vicious Iwa nin. Shikamaru and Naruto were mentally exhausted, but physically better off than the rest of them. They had avoided the brunt of the damage, escaping with some minor bruises. But they had also killed the most people. It was not a very happy occasion.

"Kaka-Nii!" Naruto yelled as yet another wave of shinobi came in.

"I know Naruto! Don't worry though! I haven't used **Raikiri **yet and you haven't used **Rasengan**. We'll be fine." Kakashi reassured Naruto, although he was starting to feel apprehensive himself.

"Hey! It's them! It's those two. The **Densetsu Kaze Kage no Kyodai!** They have a bounty of five million ryo!" One of the new Iwa ninja shouted. There were about fifteen or so new shinobi. They all turned towards Naruto and Shikamaru. Aoi himself was surprised at that. He hadn't looked in his bingo book recently. So those Nara brats were actually in the bingo book? Well it seems as though Konoha wasn't so worthless after all.

"Ah! Kuso! I can't take this anymore! **Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu!" **Zabuza's patience had grown thin after killing the first fifty or so Iwa nin. The damn cockroaches kept coming back.

A thick mist covered the area, blinding the offending shinobi. Kakashi had his sharingan open and faintly saw Zabuza charge into the abyss. Howls and yells were heard all through out the enemies position.

"What was that!" Yelled Ino.

"That, is my father's prized attack. It covers the area in a thick fog so no one but him can see what's going on. He is after all, the master at silent killing and this is the prelude to that." Haku explained with a slight smile on her face.

Shino shivered a bit. Naruto had a dangerous and powerful was watching all of this in grim fascination. _So this is the life of a shinobi? How do they keep their sanity intact?_

A few seconds later, the fog cleared. All of the shinobi lay dead. Aoi watched in contempt. Zabuza hadn't even aimed for him. Was he that worthless?

"There...you're welcome by the way." Zabuza said, panting.

"HOLY SHIT MAN! That was bloody awesome!" Naruto shouted. His uncle had just taken fifteen shinobi down moments. It was bad ass. But then again, all Uzumakis are bad ass. Believe it.

"Thanks Naruto, but we got more trouble coming." Zabuza said pointing something coming their way.

At this point, Haku, Chouji, Shino, and Ino could not fight anymore. They were worn out, depleted of chakra, and bloody. That was not a good combination. They had to protect Tazuna, no matter what the cost.

Aoi couldn't believe this. Those nine ninja had taken at least a hundred shinobi down, plus an additional sixty mercenaries or so, and six of them were under the age of thirteen. Unbelievable. Up until now, he had merely been an observer, seeing what his forces could do. Gato had given him orders not to attack unless he was forced to. The people coming to aid him were the last of his resources. Iwa had lent out one hundred and twenty five of their shinobi forces when Gato had approached them with this task of killing Zabuza. Gato was well versed in shinobi matters, well shinobi politics that is. All he had to do was mention that killing the bridge builder would destroy any potential alliances between Konoha and Kiri, and the Tuschikage was sold.

Aoi stopped the shinobi force approximately two hundred feet from the rest of them. "How many?"

"Twenty three sir." An Iwa nin quickly replied.

"Any more coming?" Aoi asked impatiently.

"No, we are the last batch. Speaking of which, where are the others?"

"Dead." Was Aoi's curt reply.

The Iwa shinobi quaked. How was it possible that the nine grimy, filthy, worn out shinobi in front of them killed one hundred and two of their allies. Could they win? Would they win? And at one cost.

Aoi saw their apprehension. "Listen to me. Do you see those two boys, one with the blonde hair and the brunette next to him? Their names are Nara Naruto and Nara Shikamaru. Also known as the **Densetsu Kaze Kage no Kyoudai**. They were the ones who killed Iwa shinobi four years ago. Are you going to let them slander the name of Iwa anymore? Or are you going to kill the fiends who led to your comrades demise?"

Now this riled the Iwa's up. They shot glances at the two exhausted boys who were watching them with wary eyes. The brats would die, along with the pesky bridge builder. No exceptions.

* * *

><p>The Konoha (including Zabuza and Haku) watched the gathered crowd apprehensively. There were twenty three new shinobi, plus a fully powered Rokusho Aoi. The odds were not looking too good for them. Of course, Naruto still had the Kyuubi or summons as tricks up his sleeve, but those would consume tons of chakra. He had a little more than half of his chakra left. Shikamaru, Zabuza, and Kakashi had less than that. If Kakashi was to use his <strong>Raikiri<strong> right now, it would limit him to twenty percent of his chakra. Plus his sharingan was out, meaning it was consuming his chakra even quicker.

As of right now, Naruto was probably the best choice to fight Aoi head on.

Shikamaru looked back at Haku through his peripheral vision. She was drenched in sweat and panting heavily. One hand was holding onto Shino while the other was on her knee, as if she was resting. He spared a glance at everyone with her. Except for Tazuna, they were all in about the same state. _Naruto, you're the one who's going to be fighting now. I'll help you, but for our sakes', please end this quickly._

_Kyuu Nii, can you please set up the mental link again? _Naruto thought.

**Sure thing kit, give me a sec.**

_Arigato._

Sure enough, a few moments later, Naruto felt the flowing tendrils of his subconscious reach the minds of those who shared his blood. Haku, Zabuza, Kakashi, and Shikamaru stiffened when the felt Naruto's abyss of a mind touch their own.

_Listen, if you can hear me then it's fine. I know all of you are exhausted with Haku being the worst off. I know that we can kill of the Iwa Shinobi. Haku, you, Shino, Ino, and Chouji need to rest. No question about that. The rest of us will take care of everything. In the end, I'll fight Aoi and take Raijin back while Zabuza-Oji will kill Gato if and when he arrives._

Naruto's thoughts were projected into all of their minds.

They gave each other looks of affirmation at his plan.

_Will do Naruto. But please, for Kami's sake, be careful and do NOT do anything reckless. _Kakashi thought.

_Love you to Aniki. _Naruto chortled.

_Naruto, it's time we end this once and for all, don't you think? _Zabuza said into the mental link. He had been surprised at first, but then he recounted their first encounter. It was quite fascinating. Naruto sure was the most surprising ninja on the battlefield. Well Zabuza, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

_I agree Oji-San. After we kill the shinobi, me and Aoi will go head to head. Taking on an S-Rank nin is not exactly what this mission entailed, but I'll do it. Trust me. I need you and Shikamaru to protect Tazuna, because the mercenaries might be back. _

_Alright kiddo, don't worry. _Zabuza said.

_Don't worry Naru, I got this. _Shikamaru thought back to him.

_Yosh. Now that everyone knows the plan, just sign it to Asuma-Nii. _Naruto said and he broke the connection.

Asuma learned about the plan from Kakashi. He agreed with it. Asuma would be there to back Naruto up in case the fight with Aoi got ugly.

Now they would have to see what the opposing side was up too.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at Tazuna's house, Tsunami and Inari were enjoying a relatively peaceful lunch with the ten clones that Haku, Shikamaru, and Naruto had left behind.<p>

All of a sudden, they heard noises coming from outdoors.

"Tsunami-san, stay here with Inari and get on the floor. I'll cover you with a genjutsu." Haku told the woman.

Tsunami was scared, as was Inari, but they trusted the young ninja.

**"Bibun-Tekina inpei no jutsu! **(Partial concealment technique)" The air around the two shimmered and it looked like nothing was on the floor.

One Haku, one Shikamaru, and one Naruto went out to 'greet' the intruders.

The intruders turned out to be two mercenaries.

The mercenaries saw the kids coming out of the house. They had no idea that these were the same children who had destroyed their base and killed fifty-five of their comrades.

"Oi! Do you know if that bridge builder lives here?" One of them asked.

"Bridge Builder? No I'm sorry. We live here alone with our uncle Takeshima. But he's gone out to the market at the moment. We just moved here and don't really know anyone at the moment." Shikamaru lied with a lazy expression. Typical Nara.

The two idiots looked at each other for a minute. "Well, fine. But this is what the bridge builder looks like." One said pulling out a photo. "If you see him tell him that we have some _complaints_ with his bridge. He knows where to find us."

"Yes sir. We understand. Thanks. Goodbye." Haku said.

"Have a nice day." The other mercenary replied.

They turned around, when they heard a voice.

"You might not be ninja, but a fighter should always learn to look underneath the underneath. **Fuuton: Daitoppa!**" It was Naruto's voice that resonated throughout the area.

Before they could even turn around and draw their swords, the ripping wind cut through them like they were butter. Usually, Fuuton: Daitoppa is a C-Ranked wind jutsu, but because of Naruto's unnatural control of the wind, it is amplified to the point where that technique is a blade of wind, capable of cutting through anything, much like Asuma's trench knives.

"It's over." The Naruto clone said resolutely.

"Tch. Troublesome but no. It's not. More will come, perhaps not here, but they will. This situation is getting out of hand. All of our bosses are fighting, and from what I learned when one of boss's Kage Bunshins was dispelled, Haku's boss is seriously injured. All of our comrades are injured for that matter. We are only reinforced clones. If we dispel ourselves right now, Boss and the others will get more chakra, but then we leave Tsunami and Inari unprotected. we are in a pinch." The Shikamaru clone said with a frown on his face.

Clone Haku sighed. "What do you propose we do?"

"Listen, without a doubt Naruto will fight that Aoi guy. Since he's most likely the leader of whatever forces attacked our bosses and the others, he'll fight the last. Do you see where my reasoning is going?" Clone Shikamaru asked.

"I understand. Aoi will fight my boss when all of his troops are close to gone, right?" Clone Naruto concluded.

"Exactly. So what we have to do is gather the townspeople. Chances are Gato will come at this time. From what we've gathered, some of the townsfolk are experienced fighters. Having them on our side wouldn't hurt." Clone Shikamaru said.

"Excellent. We should get started right away then shouldn't we?" Clone Haku asked.

"We should. Ikuzo!"

And so the three of them went back into the house, disregarding the bodies of those that Naruto had killed. Inari, Tsunami had a lot of work to do.

In order to save Nami no Kuni, their plan had to be perfect.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bridge: Enemy Lines<strong>

"Do you understand why we must win? Iwa always comes out on top. The blonde even looks like that bastard-the Yondaime Hokage. Killing him will mean that we are one step closer to destroying Konoha. So fight. Fight for Iwa, fight for pride, and most of all, fight for yourself! Am I clear!" Aoi shouted the last bit.

"HAI!"

"Well then what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

War cries were heard as the shinobi charged, all with the intent to kill.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bridge: Our side (unless you like the Iwa Nins)<strong>

"Here they come! Naruto, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Zabuza-san! Hold them off. I'm going to see the kids. Naruto, I'll come once Aoi starts fighting!" Asuma cried.

"Understood Asuma-nii!" Naruto shouted over the roar of the oncoming shinobi.

**Naruto, use my strength as well. It'll go a lot faster. **Kyuubi added his two cents in as well.

_I would, but it'll take a lot of chakra. _

**Summon me, it'll be easier and your comrades won't get hurt.**

_I'm not sure..._

**DO IT BOY!**

_Alright fine._

**"**Oi minna! There's been a change in plan. Stand back now!" Naruto roared.

"Naruto! What the hell?" Kakashi shouted.

Suddenly, a gust of wind pushed Zabuza, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Asuma back.

"I'm sorry guys, but this is the fastest way!" Naruto apologized.

The older ninja made to stop him, but Shikamaru held them back. By this time, Haku and the other genin plus Tazuna had joined them

"What's going on? What is Naruto doing?" Ino asked frantically.

"Naruto plans to summon _him_ and finish this quickly. He's doing us all a favor so recuperate for now." Shikamaru explained.

Everyone except Shino understood immediately. (Poor guy)

"But he'll be wasting his own chakra!" Zabuza said in indignation.

"Compared to all of us, Naruto has the most chakra, He'll get by." Shikamaru said firmly. They had to trust Naruto.

"That idiot. I swear, he's so rash sometimes." Kakashi said sighing.

"YOSH! TODAY LET ME SHOW MY FLAMES OF YOUTH TO YOU IWA SHINOBI!" Naruto's exclamation made all of the fighters stop and drew sweat-drops from all of the Konoha shinobi._ Maito Gai, what exactly did you do to him?_

But this was Naruto's goal, to distract the oncoming shinobi so that he could perform the summoning. Quickly, he bit his thumb and did the hand seals. "**Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kyuubi no Kitsune!"**

A plume of smoke covered the are, confusing all of the shinobi. It was much like Zabuza's **Kirigakure no jutsu.**

"W...w...w...wh...what the hell is that!" One of the Iwa nin cried out.

Aoi stood there with slight fear etched onto his face. Did the gaki just say _Kyuubi no Kitsune_? What the hell was going on? Who was this kid.

From the smoke, emerged a figure so perfect, he could only be described as beautiful. His flowing red hair swirled around him in nine perfect locks. His tan skin clashed with the red and black of his cloak. The kanji for **Makkai** ran down his back.

_"_**Yo Naruto. I'll take care of these small fries. You take of the bastard with the sword." **Kyuubi said as he took his stance. Red malevolent chakra formed around him. Everyone in the area felt the absolutely evil aura surrounding the man. The Iwa nins cowered in fear.

"Okay, Kyuu-nii. Just please, don't make that much of a mess." Naruto told the being inhabiting his body.

Kyuubi just smirked at the boy.

"**Haaaaaaaaaaa! Kitsune-Bi!" **A red ball of _something_ covered the oncoming shinobi. The poor bastards never had a chance against the king of hell. He was after all, the most powerful being in the world, besides Kami that is. Or so she claimed. After all, what sister would not want to be stronger than her idiot twin brother.

Shocked was not the word to describe everyone besides Naruto. Awe, fear, reverence, perhaps those were the words.

**"Yarre yarre, such small flies, not even fitting to be on my menu."**

"What the hell did Naruto summon?" Shino asked incredulously.

"You pretty much answered it right there Shino. He summoned the king of hell." Kakashi said. Tch, why hadn't he done this before? Oh yeah, because Kakashi thought that it would deplete Naruto's chakra too much. Well, that clearly was not the case.

"But...how..." Shino whispered. How could a mere human summon _that?_

"That my friend, is something Naruto will tell you himself. It's not our place to do so." Chouji answered him.

**"Oi, you idiots in the background. Why the hell didn't you use the stances I taught you? You would have eliminated them with one blow."**

They sweat-dropped. "It's quite hard to do so when you're under pressure ya know?" Shikamaru stated.

"So _that_ was who you learned a 'family style' from?" Asuma asked disbelievingly. "The fucking KING OF HELL taught you guys?"

"Is that a problem?" Kakashi asked indifferently as Kyuubi walked over to the rest of them. Asuma and his genin were extremely wary of the man/beast/demon/fox. Chouji and Ino only had seen him in his fox form, and he seemed harmless there. But now, it really put things into perspective for them. Naruto had this...this...being dwelling in him.

"**Yo**." Kyuubi said as he sat down next to Kakashi. He gazed up at the sky to look at the clouds. Ah, it sure was relaxing to do so. No wonder the Nara clan was so lazy. One could do this all day and not get bored. But alas, others just wouldn't understand the joys of cloud gazing.

"Yo yourself. Why aren't you helping Naruto out?" Shikamaru asked him.

Asuma and his genin stared at Shikamaru like he had grown two heads. If this was the King of Hell, then what would he do to Shikamaru for talking to him like that. Even though Ino, Asuma, and Chouji knew who exactly Kyuubi really was, it was extremely frightening to see said being in action. His fox form was adorable and cute. His true form was...another story.

But to their surprise, Kyuubi giggled. Yes, the King of Hell _giggled._ To tell you the truth though, his giggle was probably the equivalent to Orochimaru's "_Ku Ku Ku's", _so it wasn't a pleasant giggle. It was more of an evil giggle. But enough about the giggles. They're not that important. (or are they?)

"**Don't worry. Naruto will be fine, plus he has you all to back him up if the need arises. If you do interfere without his help though, he'll probably kill you. Don't interfere in his battle, no matter how much he gets his ass kicked, if that's the case that is. But he's Naruto-Konoha's number one most unpredictable ninja. If I taught him anything, it's to improvise when all else fails."** Kyuubi told them confidently.

They all glanced at Naruto. He and Aoi seemed to be staring each other down. The fight had not begun yet...but it would.

Ino had to ask this question to Kyuubi. "Ano, exactly how much have you taught Naruto?"

Kyuubi swiveled around to face her. She cowered slightly. This was _not _the fox that cuddled in her lap. This was the being that destroyed Konoha.

"**Not much really. His other teachers have been more than enough till now. I taught him the basics of fighting. His real training from me begins now. He's twelve, and ready to finally learn from me. But enough talking, the fight's about to begin. Let's sit back and relax for now.**" Kyuubi said.

* * *

><p>Indeed, Naruto and Aoi had not begun to fight yet. Naruto knew that Aoi would make the first move. His stance suggested so.<p>

Aoi had things he wanted to clear up, starting with the thing that the boy had summoned to _slaughter _his forces. To say Aoi was pissed was the understatement of the year. He had the entire thing planned out, from beginning to end. And then the _boy_ just has to go and ruin it. Never before had he wanted to kill someone so much.

"Oi gaki." Aoi began. Naruto bristled in annoyance. The only one who could call him 'gaki' and get away with it was Jiraiya.

"Nani?"

"How is it that you could summon the Kyuubi no Kitsune? That is if I heard you correctly." Aoi asked him.

At this, everyone stiffened. So Aoi had heard Naruto. That wasn't good. No, now more than ever, Aoi needed to be killed. The secret of Konoha's trump card couldn't be let out, no matter what the cost.

Shino looked at the thing in front of him. _Kyuubi no Kitsune? No it couldn't be...could it?_

"What's it to you? Naruto retorted. He just wanted to fight. Not talk about some rather personal details.

"Ah, nothing really...just a curious." And he was, really _really _curious.

"Sorry, but I don't really feel like talking about that. Let's just say me and him have an _agreement_ of sorts." Naruto was relieved that Aoi hadn't figured out that he was the vessel for the Kyuubi. But he had to question the man's intelligence. Who else except the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi would have the power to summon him. (excluding Madara of course).

"Sou-ka. Well then, I guess it's pointless to talk anymore." Aoi readied Raijin in an unfamiliar form.

"That's the most sensible thing you've said today." Naruto drew out a scroll from a compartment in his pants. He smeared some of his blood onto it. A katana, crafted by the best blacksmith in Uzu no Kuni popped out. It had been Uzumaki Kushina's, and it was Naruto's way of honoring the woman who was his mother.

**Back with the spectators**

"The boy has a sword?" Zabuza asked, his fascination with Naruto growing.

"Yes, and it was the same one that his mother, your sister wielded. Uzumaki Kushina was one of the best swordsman that we had, and her talent's been passed on to Naruto." Kakashi answered.

"Hm, it looks like swordsmanship in the blood eh?" Zabuza commented. "Haku, you're next."

Haku gave her father a disgruntled look. "Let's focus on his fight dad."

And talk was effectively over.

**Aoi and Naruto**

**"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" **Naruto's signature move popped out three clones. "You all know what to do! Let's go!" The clones and Naruto moved in synchronization. The three Kage Bunshin served as distraction. Naruto had four eyes that were exploiting every blind spot tha Aoi had. It was what made this style so complicated to break. Any Konoha nin who knew Gekko Hayate would know this style.

Aoi tried to fend off attacks from the clones but he couldn't. The clones gave him no opening. Aoi kept getting cut by Naruto and his clones. He had to draw Raijin out. But this style was truly genius. He knew this kenjutsu. **Mikazuki no Mai-**Dance of the Crescent Moon. So the brat had studied with Gekko Hayate eh?

"Hn, what's this? You're getting beaten by a twelve year old. That Raijin doesn't really do anything to your power you know." Naruto taunted. His clones were still attacking but Aoi was gaining some ground on him. Aoi's movements were becoming faster and he was parrying more attacks from Naruto.

"Ah boy, that's where you are wrong. The Raijin does give me a tremendous power boost, after all, it's not called the _Sword of the Thunder God_ for no reason, right?" The sword in his hand glowed a magnificent golden, illuminating the area in a halo of light. But they realized that it wasn't light, it was lightning.

"This sword gives me control over the element of lightning. It seems as though the Nidaime Hokage was good for something, eh?" Aoi swung the sword and bolts of lightning ripped the Naruto clones apart. Aoi dashed forwad quicker than Naruto could react, slicing his arm open. And right now he didn't even have Kyuubi in him so his healing abilities were slower now without that direct link of Kyuubi's chakra.

Naruto cursed. He forgot all about the Raijin's abilities. Crap, Mikazuki no Mai was out of the question then. And here he thought that he could show off some sword skills to his uncle. It would have to wait. He sealed his mother's sword back into his scroll and put his Nara mind to work.

Hang on...Naruto had wind chakra, Raijin was lightning. Naruto smirked. Lightning was weak against wind, and appears Aoi had forgotten this. Naruto had the advantage here, and he was going to make full use of it.

Two hundred feet behind him, Shikamaru also smiled. "Naruto's gonna win this."

Except for Kakashi and Kyuubi, the others looked at him like he was crazy.

"Wind vs Lightning. Who wins?" Was his response to their faces.

And then the others understood. Lightning loses against wind. Naruto _was_ going to emerge victorious.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto cried again.

Aoi scoffed. "Don't you see it's useless to make those clones."

"Hm, actually it's not. Let's go! Alpha! Beta! Gamma! Wind formation now."

"Hai!" The clones cried out. They formed a triangle around the real Naruto.

"Alpha! Fuuton one! Beta! Fuuton two! Gamma! Fuuton three!"

The three clones readied themselves with the proper handseals.

"**Fuuton: Kaze no Senbon!" **Alpha cried. A wave of wind senbons attacked Aoi who tried to deflect it with his blade that was crackling lightning. But to his surprise, the lightning blade did nothing to parry the attacks.

"What the hell!" Aoi cried as he was cut numerous times by the wind senbons.

**"Fuuton: Kaze no Yaiba!"** Beta yelled. The clone's arm was transformed into a sword of wind and charged at Aoi. Alpha had used a pretty mediocre C-ranked Jutsu to distract Aoi from Beta's attack. Aoi's midriff now sported a huge gash that spurted out blood.

"Kuso! Take this! **"Katon: Karyudan!" **A dragon made out of fire decimated Alpha. Of course, fire was strong against wind. But still, Aoi had taken quite a beating from Naruto's clones.

"Mada mada! Gamma! Go now!" The real Naruto yelled from the center of his now two clone protective unit.

"Osu! **Fuuton: Kamikaze!"** The wind turned into small twisters around Aoi who managed to dodge all of them except for one. He was knocked flat on his back with lacerations covering every inch of his body. Raijin had now lost all of it's lightning thanks to Naruto's devastating winds.

* * *

><p>"How the hell did Naruto dispatch an S-ranked nin?" Chouji asked, his eyes wide open.<p>

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the sky. "To tell you the truth, what Naruto said in the beginning of this fight is true. Without Raijin, Aoi is nothing. At most he would be a B-ranked missing nin. The reason that we thought he would be dangerous is because he would have so many mercenaries to back him up, and we were right. So in reality, I could have done the same too, but Naruto just has more chakra."

"Just what exactly are you two?" Ino asked in awe.

Kyuubi answered before Shikamaru could talk. **"The blonde and brunette idiots are my subordinates who never seem to take my advice. And the silver haired one...he's the leader of the idiots. For example, _if_ they had actually used _anything_ that I spent three days teaching them...this fight never would have happened. Why? Because my style of fighting is fool proof. Not even that green spandex freak could beat my style. But nooooo, they don't use it and because of that they're all sitting here wallowing in sorrow because they have no more chakra left. Well boo-hoo. This is due to the fact that you don't utilize the tools that you are provided with...idiots."**

Everyone was sweating bullets at the amount of pure annoyance Kyuubi was letting off. Shikamaru and Kakashi inched closer together while Kyuubi glared daggers at them.

"**Ah forget it. Well it seems Naruto is going to end this anyway."**

* * *

><p>Naruto walked up to Aoi who was on the floor writhing in pain and crouched down next to him.<p>

"If you hadn't left Konoha, you wouldn't really be in this predicament now would you." Naruto snarled at the man.

Aoi stared at the face above him. Those three lines on both of his cheeks. Now Aoi remembered him. No wonder he could summon the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

"You...you are..the v..vessel to the K..y..u..ubi. U..zu..ma...ki Nar..ut..o." Aoi's speech was staggered and broken. In all honesty, it was amazing that he had survived for so long after taking wind jutsus head on.

"Indeed I am sir. But my name is _Nara_ Naruto, not Uzumaki. But really, it took you that long to figure out that I was the Kyuubi vessel? Honestly, am I really that easy to forget. Granted you did leave when I was probably six months old. Oh, and by the way I would really appreciate if you gave me my great-uncle's sword back. It's kind of a family heirloom and Tsunade-baa chan would probably be pissed if I didn't take it away from a traitor when I got the chance."

Aoi's eyes widened. He was related to the Niidaime Hokage? That wasn't possible. They weren't told anything about the demon container other than the fact that he was to be given the last name of Uzumaki. It just wasn't possible that he was related to any of the Hokage's or Sannins.

Naruto smirked at the dying man's stunned expression and lifted Raijin out of his grasp. Without a word, he turned away from Aoi and walked back to his group of friends and family.

He looked over their bloodied and bruised bodies and winced. His own wound was nothing compared to what they had received.

"Naruto, Aoi's not dead you know." Kakashi deadpanned.

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah gomen. Gamma! Come!"

His clone appeared at his side right away. "Boss!"

"Go stand by Rokusho's side."

"Hai!" The clone vanished in seconds only to materialize near the traitor's head.

"Oi Naruto, are you really going to use _that?_" Shikamaru asked his cousin.

"Why, what's wrong? I haven't used it for a while and he'll be gone instantly." Naruto replied.

"Fine...just do what you want." Shikamaru sighed.

Naruto put his hands into the Tora (Tiger) seal. "Yes thanks for your permission _mother_. **Bunshin Daibafuku!**" Gamma exploded, but he didn't just explode, he did so _gracefully._ Sakura petals danced fiercely around Aoi. Each petal left a deep mark embedded in his skin. They were like tiny razors. Aoi was dead within seconds. He couldn't sustain many more injuries.

The others who hadn't seen his original exploding Kage Bunshin Technique stared at the sight in shock. It was beautiful, yet deadly. Amazing.

"Tch, how troublesome Naruto. I don't understand why you couldn't have made those clones before and explode them." Shimakaru scoffed.

"Because..." Naruto said as he dropped to one knee, panting. "That particular clone takes five times more chakra than a regular exploding clone. This coupled with all of the fighting we've done today, I'm almost done."

Tazuna stared at his body infested bridge. Blood was everywhere. But he was safe. The ninjas had done their job very well... a little too well maybe.

Kyuubi grumbled. He should probably go back into the seal so Naruto would have his healing abilities back. He couldn't expand his chakra unless he wanted to destroy Naruto's chakra coils.

"**Kit, come here...**"

Naruto had already anticipated this from Kyuubi. "It's alright. You can have a little bit more freedom. I'm fine so relax a bit."

Kyuubi grinned causing everyone to shiver.

"Ano...Naruto-san?" Shino said tentatively.

"Nani? Shino-san?"

"Is...is...that...I mean...is...he...really...the...Kyuubi no...Kitsune?" It was the question that had been eating away at him ever since Naruto had started fighting.

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru who nodded his head slightly. It meant that Shino was trustworthy. Naruto let out a long breath. "Hai Shino-san, he is the Kyuubi no Kitsune. You see, he's the king of hell and also the being that destroyed Konoha. The only reason why I can summon him is because I am the jin..." Naruto's explanation was cut off by clapping from the other end of the bridge.

They all turned around and groaned. Not again...

There, two hundred and fifty feet away stood a midget dressed up in a suit and tie, with at least 100 more mercenaries behind him. WHY DIDN'T THEY EVER DIE? Said man was clapping...for reasons unknown.

Zabuza growled. This was the man he had sworn to kill, and he would kill him.

"**Oi, Zabuza. Do you want any help killing the idiot in the specs over there?"**

Gato trembled slightly when he heard Kyuubi say this. But the fear was gone in a nano second.

"Hmph, I am Gato, the ruler of Wave Country. It's best if you leave right now before we kill you. Although you have put together an admirable effort in wasting away Aoi's forces and Aoi himself. All of you are tired. You can't last much longer against my force." Gato said in a smug voice.

Zabuza scoffed. "Ruler my ass. Your a fucking tyrant, that's what you are. What kind of ruler lets his people rot while he himself bathes in riches. I'll tell you what kind-the shitty kind. So kindly stand still while I murder you."

"My my Zabuza, some demon you turned out to be. First you switch sides without telling us, and now you're lecturing me on how to rule my own empire. Isn't that a bit philosophical coming from a supposed demon?" Gato taunted.

The demon of the mist growled. IF it was a demon that Gato wanted, it would be a demon that Gato would get. Zabuza bared his teeth at the midget. He dumped his sword on the ground. He needed to use his bare hands to slaughter this asswipe.

"Oi Kakashi! Asuma-san! Back me up here! It's time to teach this mother fucking son of a bitch just exactly why I'm so feared in the elemental nations! Oh and Kyuubi, thanks, but no thanks! I need to have the pleasure of ripping this bastard's heart out of his pathetic body!"

Asuma and Kakashi nodded whilst readying themselves in battle positions. Asuma once again took out his now bloodied trench knives. They were poised to spring at any second.

Kyuubi grumbled but went to go stand near Naruto.

Zabuza grinned a very feral grin. It was one that sent tendrils of fear down Gato's back. The hunter was coming for its prey. Within a split second, he was off, sprinting to Gato's position.

At the same time, Gato shouted out to his troops to attack. The mercenaries thought that they could win. After all, the odds were in their favor. It was 100 vs 3. What could possibly go wrong?

Kakashi quickly did the seals for his **Raikiri**. Three oncoming people were destroyed by the power of his attack. Kakashi's masked lips turned upwards in a sadistic smirk as he looked at the blood spurting out of his victims. It was..._artistic_. A torrent of hysterical laughter tore through the man as he cut more and more enemies down. His masterpiece had to be complete.

Asuma sighed as he saw Kakashi's massacre. Kakashi and Anko were the perfect couple for so many reasons. Their sadism knew no bounds. Asuma lazily stabbed a man through the gut and watched in grim satisfaction as the man crumpled to the ground. Ninja definitely were crazy, it was a proven fact after all.

Gato paled as he stood rooted to the ground, watching the three men slaughter his forces. He shit himself when he saw Zabuza heading towards him. "G...g...g...g...get him!" He managed to stammer out to his protective guard.

It was like time was moving in slow motion for Zabuza. He absent mindlessly killed a man in front of him all while staring at Gato. This man...no this _demon_ had ravaged an entire country, and felt no remorse. Even Zabuza did not do that. Never once had he taken advantage of woman or children when he came across them. Perhaps losing Akira and raising Haku made him sane, of that's what a shinobi was. However this person in front of him had most likely raped thousands of woman, and never given it a second thought. When Haku and Naruto had described what they had seen in that base that they had destroyed, Zabuza felt the bile rise in his throat. How could he actually have worked for that guy? Oh right, the money was good. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He then let himself imagine if it were Haku in that kind of place. What would happen? He didn't even want to picture it. He would never let his baby girl be put in those conditions, no matter what it took. And for that reason, he had to kill Gato. It was so no one else's son or daughter would be put in brothels under Gato. There would be no more suffering for the people in Wave. Gato's reign would end today. Believe it.

Kakashi, Asuma and the others all stopped what they were doing to watch Zabuza's actions.

Zabuza was now only twelve feet away from Gato. He had no weapons on his body. Pure adrenaline was rushing through the man's head.

Seven feet. Gato felt all the blood leave him.

Six feet. His guards convulsed on Zabuza.

Five feet. Three of his guards were dead. How? He didn't know. His heart stopped beating.

Four feet. Gato stared into the onyx eyes of his future killer.

Three feet. Zabuza's hands itched for the blood of the midget in front of him.

Two feet. All eyes were trained on the two men, one demon and one not. Figure out who's who.

One foot. Zabuza stopped in front of the fear stricken Gato. "It's over now Gato. Your time has come. Say your last prayers, though I doubt anyone will hear them."

Gato couldn't move. His legs refused to budge. An invisible force kept him down, rooted to the ground. His time was indeed over. He closed his eyes. The last thing he heard Zabuza say was, "If I'm a demon, then what does that make you?"

Zabuza's hand plunged through Gato's chest, ripping through sinew and finally reaching his heart. Said man's body writhed pitifully as his heart was ripped out. He crashed through the bridge in silence. In his hand, Zabuza held the shriveled heart of the tyrant. It was over. Wave was free.

Everyone watched wide eyed as Zabuza made his way back to them. The man looked down at the blood that covered him and the heart that had beat its last beat two seconds ago. With a half hearted shrug, he tossed the heart into the water underneath them.

Tazuna cringed at the sight of Gato and his men. Only twenty or so had survived. His bridge was literally a body dump. It would take ages to clean up the mess that the shinobi had made. However, inwardly, he was dancing Madarame Ikkaku's lucky dance. It was over. Wave was free. Gato was dead. His country would not be oppressed any more. Peace would reign once more

The hired mercenaries looked at their fallen leader's body in fear. He was dead now. So who would pay them now? Their comrades were all gone, thanks to the nine people-no the nine monsters in front of them.

In a fit of blind fury, they charged at the shinobi. "You killed our meal ticket! Now prepare to pay for the consequences!"

Zabuza tensed for a counter attack, but stopped when he saw the identical grins on Naruto, Haku, and Shikamaru's faces. "Do you know something that we don't?" He asked tentatively.

Instead of answering Shikamaru pointed to an arrow that flew overhead and stopped the mercenaries in their tracks.

"Hey! Don't you ever try to come here again you meanie butts!" A voice behind them called.

Slowly, they turned around, only to see the entire population of Wave standing their carrying pitchforks, bows, arrows, shovels, and crowbars. In the front of the 'army' stood Inari and Kenji, each armed with some type of weapon. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Haku's remaining Kage Bunshin also stood there with looks of triumph on their faces.

The mercenaries paled at all the people in front of them.

Naruto smirked. He put his hands up in an all too familiar seal. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** Out of nowhere, a hundred clones popped up, defending the civilians who had joined the fight. "Oi assholes! Do you want to die today?"

Kakashi chuckled at this sight. 'I don't have too much chakra left but I can always bluff.' Twenty more clones popped up, but this time they were all Kakashi's version. "Bring it on!" He yelled. The mercenaries paled even more. There was no way they could possibly win this fight.

Not knowing what to do, they made a mad dash to the edge of the bridge and jumped. It was a good fifty feet down or so. Many of the remaining mercenaries were trying futilely to clamber their way back to shore.

There was a slight silence and then a low rumble started. The rumble turned into mad cheering. Men and women alike danced around. However it was very hard to do so with all the bodies lying everywhere. Children cried tears of joy while parents rejoiced that their horrendous plight was finally over.

Naruto felt himself be glomped by two people. Identical cries of "Nii-chan! Nii-chan!" Drew his eyes to his midriff. Inari and Kenji clung to him like magnets to metal. He smiled softly and ran his bloodied hands through their hair.

"Nii-chan! We did it! They're gone forever!" Inari crowed. Kenji nodded his head furiously."We couldn't have done it without you three!" Kenji said with reverence in his voice.

By this time Shikamaru and Haku had joined Naruto. "Nee-chan! Nii-chan!" It was their turn to be glomped as well.

Shikamaru let out a strangled sigh as he patted the boys on the head. "We did it. Damn, our first real mission and it ends up like this."

"You're telling us. We thought this would be a C-rank mission, not a frickin A-rank. I guess we have Tazuna-san to thank for that though." Ino added. Tazuna rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oi Minna!" Tazuna's voice projected for everyone to hear. The people quieted down instantly. "FREE SAKE FOR EVERYONE TODAY!" He roared. Immediately, the cheering increased tenfold. No one would not take him up on that offer.

"You three...mind telling us what exactly you did that made the entire population of Wave come here... ...? Kakashi's amused and indifferent voice asked them.

The three in question gave each other mirth-filled glances. "It's a long story really...perhaps we should take this somewhere private..."

* * *

><p>It had taken seventeen hours for everything to completely settle down. Gato's heart less body was paraded around the town and set on fire. The remaining mercenaries who had eventually come back to Wave fled once more upon seeing their leader's charred body. For the first time in a very long time, a feeling of happiness settled in Wave.<p>

Wave was in a state of ecstasy. Kakashi and Asuma had hit all of Gato's bases, producing money that was enough to keep Wave afloat for the next ten years. They knew that this feeling of euphoria would not leave them for a long time. Soon, a leader would be chosen, and they knew that the leader would make Wave prosper once more. It also didn't hurt that they had a village such as Konoha backing them up as well.

Two hundred bodies had littered Tazuna's bridge. At first, he was slightly hysterical, wondering how the bodies would be removed. However, Kyuubi had produced a massive fire ball that incinerated all of them in one go before going back in his seal. Now they were all a pile of ash. A simple Fuuton Jutsu performed by Naruto carried the ashes into the ocean beneath the bridge. The only indication that a battle had taken place were the massive splotches of blood everywhere. However, within a day or so they would also be removed.

Now the shinobi and Tazuna's family were all sitting outside, admiring the beautiful scenery that the country had. It was a day of resting and recuperation for all of them. The battle had taken a severe toll on their bodies, especially Shino and Chouji's whose bodies were still wrapped in gauze.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Haku had told them what they had done to rile up the citizens of Wave. All it took were puppy dog eyes coming from a seven year old and a whole lot of killer intent. Inari and Kenji had literally gone to every house and pouted in front of the adults. To those that had melted immediately, they took whatever materials they had and set out. To those that didn't, well, that's where the killer intent came in. Needless to say, it worked _very_ efficiently.

The downside to this was that many people in Wave were constantly flocking them, trying to get details on how exactly they had taken down the tyrant and his cronies. It seemed that a 'Naruto-Sama' fanclub had been started. Wherever he went, the girls seemed to follow him. He was starting to understand why Uchiha Sasuke was gay. This was all too troublesome for him to deal with.

"Shino-san." Naruto murmured. It was time to tell Shino the truth.

"Naruto-san." The stoic boy replied.

The others listened intently as to what Naruto was going to tell the boy.

"I know that you have felt like you have been left out ever since we arrived here. I have concluded that you are a trustworthy person and therefore I will tell you the entire story behind me." Naruto said with a long sigh.

Shino sat up slightly straighter. "Go on Naruto-san."

The shinobi looked at each other warily. Would this be wise to do, especially in front of civilians.

"You must be wondering why I summoned the Kyuubi no Kitsune yesterday on the bridge." Naruto asked him.

Shino nodded. "It's been eating at me ever since."

"The answer is quite simple. It is because I am the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi- the nine tailed fox."

A silence descended upon the camp. Finally Shino spoke. "Jinchuuriki...human sacrifice?"

"Indeed. You see, twelve years ago, the Yondaime Hokage sealed the Kyuubi into a baby whose chakra coils had not developed yesterday. As you can guess, that baby was me. As to why he did it, I will tell you as well. It was because I am his son. So Shino-san, do you see me ay differently?" Naruto revealed to the crowd. Though most of them knew this, for the civilians and Shino, it was a huge shock.

Shino gave Naruto a critical gaze that did not faze the boy. He knew the difference between a kunai, and the scroll that the kunai was sealed within. Naruto and the Kyuubi were two separate beings. The battle on the bridge proved this. He had his answer.

"No I do not, Naruto-san. Asuma-sensei had told me that you and I are more similar than I first imagined. Now I understand why. I have observed you ever since our Academy days. It has always bothered me as to why the civilians treated you so...terribly. I even asked my mother and father if your parents had done something to anger Konoha. However my father denied that. Now I can see why. The son of the Yondaime is no more the Kyuubi then I am." Shino said. He pushed his glasses up further.

Naruto took in everything Shino and said and grinned. He had one more person who accepted him. "Shino-san, our parents used to be on the same team together. In fact Shibi-jii-san and Tokiko-san invited me over for dinner several times when we were younger. However you never joined us."

Shino's eyebrows rose slightly at Naruto's revelation. His mother and father had never told him about this. "Naruto-san, As I said earlier, Asuma-sensei told me that we are more alike than you think. I do not have the Kyuubi within me," At this, Shino allowed a small chuckle to pass through his lips. "Yet because my clan is rather _unconventional_ in our bug usage, Konoha tends to stay clear of our clan. We just blend in with the background. I believe in the academy I was known as 'that freaky bug boy'. Insects live in practically every pore of my body. People don't understand what's inside of us and look at us in a different way. Therefore I believe that I do understand a part of the pain that you felt as a child, though it is no where near the amount that you felt."

Naruto's eyes clouded over. Shino truly was a good friend, and perhaps a better person than he had first realized. "Arigato, Shino-san. It truly means a lot to me that you can accept me for me, and not what's sealed inside of my gut."

Shino just gave an uncharacteristic smirk and left it at that.

Naruto then turned his attention to the three civilians only to be surprised by their smiling faces.

"Naruto...we couldn't care less if you had rat turd sealed inside of you. You are the son of a hero and a hero yourself. So take that worried expression off of your face. It doesn't suit you at all and it makes you seem older than you really are!" Tazuna exclaimed with a large smile on his face.

Inari clambered on to Naruto's lap. "Nii-chan is nii-chan. Nothing will ever change that."

Naruto smiled a true smile, one that only appeared with his most precious people. "Thank you, for everything."

Tazuna chortled. "Now how about I make good of my offer on that free sake eh?"

* * *

><p>If it was one thing that everyone learned that night, it was that drinking and Ino do not go well together. Not only had she completely trashed the place, she had pulled down Shino's collar, taken one look at him, called him a handsome piece of meat, and kissed him full on the lips...twice. And it wasn't just an innocent kiss. It was the real deal, tongue and all. Tsunami shielded poor Inari's eyes so he wouldn't be scarred for life. Now if that didn't make the silent bug boy to squeak then I don't know what did. Shino hoped that Ino would forget all about it because it might screw up team dynamics. It had taken both Naruto and Shikamaru's shadow bind to subdue the rampaging girl. Tazuna was not a happy camper when he took a look at his house.<p>

The others couldn't stop laughing at the Shino's flushed face. No one would take Shino seriously from now on with that unemotional voice that he put on. They knew that after yesterday, he could scream like a banshee. Perhaps he was related to Sakura in some way. It was all so very entertaining.

So Ino woke up the next morning with a splitting headache and a vague recollection of her kissing someone. She wondered why it was odd that Shino refused to look her in the eye, or why people would double over in laughter when they looked at her. Finally she had put two and two together and apologized to Shino over and over again. He, not knowing what to do, had given her a small pat on the head, (while blushing furiously) and told her it was alright.

And now one week had passed since then. The gang was preparing to go home, with two extra people with them. Haku and Zabuza were ecstatic (though Haku showed it better than Zabuza) that they would finally have a home after so long.

With the help of Naruto and Shikamaru's shadow clones, the bridge was finally built. Tazuna had burst into tears of joy when the last nail was hammered in. For a drunkard, he was an excellent bridge builder.

In addition to the bridge, Naruto had taken the initiative of starting a proper orphanage for the children that he had seen on the streets. He found two extremely kind people who would use funds to add on to the foundation that he had laid. Kenji and the others were very happy that they didn't have to stay on the streets anymore. They knew that people would adopt them. Who could refuse those beautiful puppy dog eyes?

Needless to say, Wave was in the debt of Konoha. The valor that they had shown would not be forgotten for a very long time.

* * *

><p>The nine shinobi stood facing the entire population of Wave. Tsunami had given them an amazing lunch as a goodbye gift. Chouji felt like he was floating on cloud nine. The days had been passed lazily and leisurely. However, they were desperate to go home. Kakashi was lonesome with out his Icha-Icha girl, and Asuma was missing the Ice-Queen of Konoha. Haku and Zabuza just wanted to go to the place that their family called home.<p>

Everyone in Wave had come to see their saviors off. Although it was sad, they knew that Wave would have its new beginning again.

Naruto put up a solitary hand as a gesture of farewell. "Tsunami-san, Tazuna-san, Inari, thank you for letting us stay in your home. It was truly enjoyable being with all of you."

Tazuna waved it off. "No Naruto. It is us who are truly grateful for everything the nine of you have done for Wave. Without any of you, this bridge couldn't have been built. Konoha will always be our savior. So from the bottom of our hearts, we are eternally grateful." He bowed to them. It was an action that the rest of Wave mimicked.

The shinobi just stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do. They weren't very good with goodbyes it seemed.

Inari then came up and took both of Naruto and Shikamaru's hands in his own. Then looked down at him surprised. "I promise you, that one day I'll become an awesome shinobi just like you guys! Then we can all fight together!" He added Haku's hand to the mix as well.

The three cousins smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair all at once. The boy pouted, but a smile was still on his face soon afterwards.

"Then, I think it's best that we leave right now." Kakashi stated softly. "I'm not so sure I'll be able to drag you guys back if we stay any longer."

Everyone laughed at this. With another sullen wave, they turned around, looking back once or twice to give another wave or so to the town.

Tazuna was still waving even as the shinobi's became specs in the distance.

"Oi Tazuna, we have to give this bridge a name!" A random person shouted.

Tazuna nodded and struck his thinking pose. "AH HA! We'll call it Tazuna's Super-Great-Awesome-Bridge-of Pure-Awesomeness!"

The population sweat-dropped at that ridiculous name. It wouldn't even fit on the plaque!

Inari tugged on his grandfather's pants. "Grandpa, let's name it something that...something that..."

"NARUTO-NII-CHAN!" Kenji yelled. "Let's name the bridge after Naruto-nii-chan!"

"The Great Naruto Bridge. It has a good ring to it." Tazuna murmured.

"Dad are you sure? It wasn't just Naruto who helped save this country you know." Tsunami said doubtfully.

"I know that, but that Naruto kid is going to be someone great one day, they all are. Naruto changed Inari, who helped change Wave. He even set up an orphanage that has hundreds of kids adoring him. It's going to be the name of our bridge. I have a feeling that it will be very famous one day" He said more to himself than to anyone else. "YOSH! Minna! This bridge is called the Great Naruto Bridge, named after the boy who changed Wave Country! Do you like the name!"

His answer was the roar of approval from his people. If it was one thing that Tazuna knew for sure, it was that the future was in secure hands no matter what it took to get there.

* * *

><p>Elsewhere in Oto, Orochimaru smirked. His testing was nearly complete. He had just transferred bodies. The previous vessel was extremely weak, this new one was strong-though it was the body of a woman. It was perfect. The chunin exams were less than two weeks away and he would be disguised as a grass-nin. His 'genin' were ready. Now all he needed was his ulitmate prize-the Sharingan. If he had that, then he would have the ultimate body. Itachi had refused him, but his brother was too weak not to. One cursed seal, and Uchiha Sasuke would be his.<p>

"Ku Ku Ku. Just wait Konoha...it's time that your era of peace ends. It's time that you learned what the word fear means again. It's time I take back what's rightly mine. My empire of Oto will rise with Konoha's downfall. So say sayonara to everything you once loved." He said in a sinister hiss.

Clouds formed on the horizon, darkening the sky. War was approaching, and Konoha would have to be ready.

* * *

><p><strong>I actually didn't like this chapter too much because my fight scenes are kind of lame. But they'll get better...believe it!<strong>


	6. Chunin Exams

**Sixth Chapter! Right, so there will be some deviations from Canon here, and I would like to thank daydreamer727 for this idea. It's actually quite ingenious and I liked it a lot. Read to find out what it is. I'm sure you guys will get it, it's pretty obvious.**

** The chunin exams will start now, and expect some bashing of some characters. This is probably the last of the Sakura bashing. I'll start introducing the other bashings slowly...but it's only a couple of characters, and it'll be subtle. So anyway, let's read the sixth chapter!**

**And please review!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Sunagakura-Kazekage's Mansion<strong>

A boy with shaggy red hair and a tattoo for _love_ on his forehead stared out of the window of his room. His black rimmed eyes didn't know where exactly to look He was bored. He and his siblings would be departing for Konoha in a couple weeks. Until then, he had nothing to entertain himself with. _I could go and kill some villagers_. He thought ruefully. Inwardly he chuckled. Gaara's reputation was known and feared in Suna. He was the monster, the thing that the Kazekage had created as an ultimate weapon. He just killed indiscriminately and without care. Anyone who came within two feet near him was supposedly killed.

A pair of hands wrapped around his frame. "Gaara-kun, don't think too much. Your face will get wrinkly." A feminine voice murmured in his ear.

Gaara was snapped out of his musings as he turned around to meet the face of his older sister, Sabaku-no-Temari. He also saw his older brother, Kankuro leaned against the door frame with his hands crossed over his chest.

Now if the rumors were actually true, then Temari would have been crushed in a coffin of sand. But clearly they weren't. You see, Gaara was _not_ a ruthless killer. He was a killer, but he only killed those who tried to assassinate him on his father's orders. His siblings realized that he was quite docile when he didn't attack them in the crib.

So what made people believe that Gaara-kun was a monster? Well, his father, the Yondaime Kazekage announced to the entire village that the shukaku resided within said boy. It wasn't a secret either. The Kazekage also went on to say that the monster within the boy was not sealed properly and needed blood to be sated. This was the biggest piece of bullshit in the world. The truth was, Gaara had a bijuu and a priest sealed within him. The priest was the one who would have made the vessel crazy rather than Shukaku herself. Yes...she, the tanuki was a girl. Why else would Gaara call her mother? When the two of them were sealed together, the tanuki and priest had fought for dominance, and the tanuki had eventually won, killing the spirit of the priest. With the priest gone, Gaara would not be a murderous, psychopathic, person. He would only be sleep deprived. Shukaku would emerge if he went to bed. Not that it would have affected anyone or anything. She was the most calm and level headed out of all of the Bijuu. The rule was, the more tails you had, the crazier and stronger you were. Her Lord, Kyuubi-sama was an absolute maniac when he was in power. The last she had heard was that he was put under a genjutsu that made him attack Konoha. It appeared as though her and him were sealed at roughly the same time. She was excited in meeting him soon. His vessel and Gaara would no doubt be drawn to each other because of the bond that they felt.

"Temari, Kankuro, it's late. Get some rest." Gaara said in his regular monotone.

Temari huffed. She was the oldest here, not Gaara. Why was he giving her orders? "Mou Gaa-kun! We're giving you company here. Just enjoy it until we doze off."

"She's right brother, after all, we should discuss our strategy one more time." Kankuro added.

Suna had a very rocky alliance with Konoha. In fact, that alliance was practically gone, shattered even when the Yondaime Hokage had died. And now, Suna was going to attack Konoha during the finals of the Chunin exams, a month and a half away.

"I refuse to participate in it." Gaara stated bluntly.

His siblings just stared at him before breaking out into broken sentences. "But Gaara! Father will be furious if you don't!" Kankuro shouted.

"Keep your voice down Kakuro!" Temari hastily shushed him. "Gaara...why?" She asked him hesitantly.

Gaara stood up and looked his brother and sister full in the face. They cowered under his unusually harsh glare. He had never glared at them. "First of all, that man is not my _father._ Never has he treated me like a son, therefore I refuse to acknowledge him as a dad. Secondly, that man made an alliance with Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin from the Hidden Leaf. That man...I cringe when I look at him. I WILL NOT participate in this event that will be led by those two men. You two are free to do whatever you want."

**Gaara-kun, you made the right decision dear. Plus we don't want to anger the Lord if we attack his vessel's home.** Shukaku softly spoke in Gaara's head.

_I know mother, I will not do this, no matter what anyone says._

His two other siblings tensed. They were in a dilemma. Would they betray their home village, or agree with Gaara and not go through with the invasion.

"You two can decide when we go to Konoha. Think, and the answer will come." Gaara finished as he left the room. His siblings stared after his retreating back. Suna or Gaara? That was the question.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the same time, nine people were less than fifty miles away from Konoha. They were camped out in a nice area where the stars were visible. Without a civilian in their midst, traveling was much faster using their ninja pace. They had left Wave that morning. Nothing had happened really. No bandits, no rogue nins, no nothings. There was quiet, and that was a welcome change. Kakashi had one of his nin dogs deliver a message to the Sandaime stating that they would arrive sometime tomorrow. After all, there were only fifty miles to cover. A good ninja can run eight miles per hour for six hours straight without needing to rest. So tomorrow they would only need about one stop.<p>

The only glitch in the journey was that the three rookie genins (excluding Naruto and Shikamaru) had finally realized how many lives they had actually taken. It sickened them that they had killed someone else, taken a human life. Asuma had comforted them saying that this was the life of a ninja. If they couldn't except death, then the shinobi lifestyle was not for them at all. Ino had thrown up a few times, Chouji refused to eat, and Shino...he had gone into his own shell of bugs...literally. His beetles had created a shield around him in which no one could see what he was doing.

The mood had been depressing, but it was lifting slowly.

Everyone was asleep except for two people. Shikamaru and Haku had the first shift in the night guard. The two felt comfortable in each others presence even if they only knew each other for less than two weeks.

Haku gazed at the beautiful night sky. The stars twinkled and gleamed in the distance while the full moon cast a pale shadow upon the Earth. "Ne Shikamaru-kun, what's Konoha like?" She asked the brunette suddenly.

He jumped at her soft voice. It was like the sound of rain hitting the ground for the first time-refreshing. She looked at him expectantly. He cleared his throat. "Konoha...how exactly do I describe her? Hn, well I suppose one would say that the village is quite large, one of the largest hidden villages in the elemental nations. In the center of the village is the Hokage Tower, and everything revolves around that. Each major clan in Konoha has its own complex. Naruto and I, our complex is next to the Akimichi-that's Chouji's clan, and the Yamanaka-Ino, complexes. Two streets over, Shino's clan, the Aburame's have their complex. I'll show you around more when we get to Konoha."

She blushed at that. He had implied that he wanted to spend more time with her when they got, dare she say it, home. It seems like he was thinking along the same lines as well because he too sported a brilliant red coloring, though the darkness hid that.

"And the people, what of the people there?" She probed further.

He gave her a quizzical glance. "You're not a spy are you? I just want to make sure before I tell you anything else."

She just laughed. Shikamaru realized that he enjoyed her laugh so very much. It was like bells chiming together. "Kami no! I just want to know about my new home and the home of my family."

He grinned a lopsided grin at her. "Well, Konoha is obviously a Ninja village, but we do have civilians as well. I don't like many of the civilians mainly because of how they treated Naruto as a kid." His voice dropped as he remembered the cruel glares that Naruto had received for nearly all of his life. Haku noticed his sudden mood change and decided not to ask anything. "But there are two civilians who I truly respect and those are Teuchi-san and Ayame-nee-chan. They own the local ramen store called Ichiraku ramen. It's our favorite place to eat, more so Naruto's than mine. They were the first civilians who didn't treat Naruto like shit, and he's eternally grateful for that" Shikamaru added.

Haku nodded and mentally made a note to go to that place as soon as she was settled.

"The ninja population is a lot better though. We have several elite ninja that I'm sure you've heard about. There's Kaka-nii, he's the son of the White Fang. His mom is Jiraiya-jii san's sister. Asuma-nii is the son of the Hokage himself. Then we have Maito Gai. He's...eccentric, but a damn good taijutsu master. Whatever you do, do not look him in the eye after you've trained with him. It'll make you want to puke your guts out. And also, he has a mini-clone named Lee. Never, ever, under no circumstance talk to them about youth. The results are not pretty." Shikamaru shuddered at the weird genjutsu that appeared when those two had one of their GAI-SENSEI! LEE! moments. Haku thought that he was being slightly melodramatic, but didn't say anything due to the pained expression on his face.

"One more thing, don't comment on their clothing either. You might just end up wearing it." He continued.

"What's so bad about what they wear?" She asked.

"Green spandex." Was his simple reply.

It was her turn to shudder now. Even though ninja wore some weird clothing, that just topped it off. Who in their right minds wore _green spandex? _The only good thing about it was that you blended in with the background well.

"Another person that is very dear to our hearts is Mitarashi Anko. Other than her sadism and her dango obsession, she's a pretty normal person. You have to meet her. I have a feeling that the two of you will get along fabulously. I think that she's Kaka-nii's..." He held up his pinky finger. "But I can't be sure yet."

Shikamaru continued to tell her about many ninja in Konoha. Now she knew why he asked if she was a spy. He was basically telling her the outline for Konoha.

The two talked for a good half an hour or so. Haku marveled at how comfortable she was in his presence.

Suddenly, Naruto walked groggily up to them. "Oi lovebirds, the shifts over. Will you try to keep it down? People are trying to sleep ya know?" He grumbled but took some pleasure in seeing them blush. The two hastily got up and left for some long awaited sleep.

Morning came too soon for all of them. Everyone was up at 6:00 am sharp. After twenty minutes, they were all cleaned up and fed with ration bars. Konoha was only a few hours away.

* * *

><p>Six hours later, they saw were approaching the gates of Konoha. They made good time, only stopping because Zabuza needed a bathroom break desperately. In that time they had caught their breath and were good to go. Kakashi thanked his lucky stars that Sakura was not on this team right now. She would have slowed the mission down so much.<p>

Haku and Zabuza were in awe at the sight of Konoha. It was huge! The nine slowed down to civilian pace and leisurely walked up to the gates. The two on guard were the 'Eternal Chunin', Kotetsu and Izumo.

"Halt! State you buisiness with Konoha!" Kotetsu shouted.

"Maa maa Kotetsu-san, I think you're doing your job a little too well. It's us, team seven and team nine returned on an A-ranked mission." Kakashi said in his regular aloof tone, one that made Kotetsu gulp.

"Fine, but who are the other two with you?" Izumo asked suspiciously.

"Izu, that's...Momo..." Kotetsu started.

"It's actually _Uzumaki_ Zabuza, thanks very much." Zabuza interjected.

The two chunin stared at Zabuza for a while, then back to Naruto. "My uncle and my cousin." Naruto clarified for them. Their jaws dropped. Oh shit! What were they supposed to do when the famed Demon of the Hidden Mist was their favorite blonde's uncle?

"Uh huh, they're here to apply to Konoha. We have to talk to Sandaime-sama. So let us pass." Asuma told them.

The guards hesitantly let them pass. The nine walked into Konoha slowly. There was no real rush. Some of the ninja stopped and stared at the odd group. Whispers and furtive glances were thrown at them.

Zabuza smirked. This was going to be fun. Shikamaru sighed. "Let's just shushin up to jiji's office alright? It'll save us a lot of trouble." The others nodded. Naruto grabbed Shino, Shikamaru took hold of Chouji, and Haku took Ino. They vanished in various ways.

The Sandaime Hokage was currently in a meeting with team eight. Iruka was present there as well, sorting through missions. Team eight had just come back their first C-rank mission that consisted of leading a refugee back to his town that was thirty miles from Konoha. Kurenai was handing in their report when nine people appeared in the room much to the surprise of everyone in the room. Even Sasuke raised en eyebrow.

Hiruzen sighed when he saw who it was. But he was interested in why Momochi Zabuza was in the room along with an unknown kunoichi.

Team eight stared at the others awkwardly before Kiba bounded over to his friends. "Hey! Anko told me about your mission! How'd it go?" He asked exuberantly.

"It went...peachy. We were actually going to tell jiji about it just now." Shikamaru replied. He wondered how exactly Anko knew that they had this mission. The Sandaime? Or perhaps it was his lovestruck cousin...

"Shikamaru! Treat the Sandaime with respect!" Iruka admonished. _Usually I say that to Naruto._

The Sandaime waved it off. "It's fine Iruka, I don't mind. Team eight was just done actually. I am curious as to what exactly happened on your mission that you brought home a missing nin."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, it's a long story, and we would love to tell it to you." Sasuke stared at the 'dobe'. He had never really talked to Naruto before, though he knew that he was a terrible ninja before. Now...he wasn't so sure. Sasuke may have been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. Naruto had changed drastically, appearance wise and he was sure ability wise as well. From what he had seen when they were placed on teams, he and the other dobe were very comfortable with the elite ninja of Konoha. Not only that, the Sandaime seemed to be like a grandfather to them as well. If they were so strong, then why did they hide their skills? If you had it, flaunt it. That was Sasuke's principle. It was why his hair resembled a duck's butt. It was _flamboyant_, just like he secretly was.

Hinata would have said something, but every time she spoke it came out in stutters so no one would understand her anyway.

Kurenai took this as her signal to leave. "Well come now team, we must be off. There are so many things that we have to work on...especially teamwork!" She shared an exasperated look with Kakashi and cast a fearful glance at Zabuza. On her way out she made sure to pinch Asuma on the butt _hard_ so he wouldn't forget exactly where he had to go after his meeting was done. The poor man let out a strangled yelp and blushed a brilliant crimson. Kakashi, who was next to him sniggered at his best friends predicament. "Shut it or I'll tell everyone exactly what you do with Anko each night." He growled. Kakashi instantly shut up. _How did he know? Wait...fuck me, he's Anko's other neighbor..._

Hiruzen cleared his throat expectantly. "So, mind telling me why a nuke-nin dubbed the 'demon of the hidden mist' is amongst our presence?"

Naruto grinned. "Now jiji, can't you see the resemblance between us? It's rather poetic actually. The demon of Konoha is related to the demon of the hidden mist!"

Everyone winced at what he just said. "What do you mean by 'related', Naruto?" Iruka asked the boy curiously.

"Weeeeelllll, Zabuza here, happens to be the brother of my mother, making him my Oji-san!"

Zabuza snickered at Sandaime's shocked expression. He decided that he needed to say something as well. "It goes like this. I was hired by Gato to kill these people's clients. Naruto and his cousins were back up for the genin team over here." He said, gesturing to Asuma's squad. "We were fighting...if you want to call it that, when Naruto did his freaky whatever you want to call it...ah yes...that mental link that works with those who are related to him by blood. He was extremely surprised when I, along with my daughter heard it. It was then that we stopped fighting and he revealed himself to be Kushina-nee-chan's son. And the rest is history."

Sarutobi's eyes widened further. Mental link? Naruto had a lot of explaining to do...But if what Zabuza said was true, then the last full blooded Uzumaki and long lost son of the Uzukage was standing in front of him.

"Are you saying that you are the son of the Uzukage, Uzumaki Hideki?" The Sandaime asked the man incredulously. Everyone except Naruto, Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Haku's jaw dropped. Zabuza was the son of a Kage? That pretty much gave him diplomatic immunity...

"Yep!" Zabuza chirped.

"You are the brother to Uzumaki Kushina, the Bloody Red Habanero of Konoha?"

"Wow, that's what she was called. That suits her so much!"

"You are the Uncle to Nara Naruto?"

"Uh huh."

"You are the cousin to Senju Tsunade."

"Jeez, I haven't seen Tsunade nee-san in like thirty years. No joke."

Iruka was literally on the floor. The Demon of the Hidden Mist was the cousin to a Sannin, the son of a Kage, brother in law to another Kage, nephew to two more Kages, and most likely the uncle to a future Kage...what else?"

"And I'm assuming that you and your daughter want refuge here?"

"Well duh. I want to be close to the last of my living family, and Naruto here is it."

Naruto...the boy gave Sarutobi so many damn headaches. A person should not be allowed to be so troublesome!

"Sandaime-sama, one last thing. My daughter Haku, she has a bloodline." Zabuza added. He knew that Konoha had a bloodline fetish. But no way in the seven hells was he going to let his daughter become a breeding stock.

Hiruzen blinked. A new bloodline in Konoha? The elders were going to have a field day. "Oh, and what exactly is it."

Shikamaru nudged Haku forward. "Sandaime-sama, my bloodline comes from that of the Yuuki clan. I'm sure that you've heard of it. It was exterminated in the blood line raids in the Mist, and I am the last of that clan I believe. It is **Hyoton**. I create Ice by combining my water and wind chakra."

Hiruzen blinked again. He had heard of the Yuuki clan. That was a very powerful bloodline to have, and now one of its wielders willingly wanted to come into Konoha. He couldn't refuse that.

"You do realize Zabuza-san, that many clans are going to want Haku-chan's bloodline in their own clan. The elders will most likely want her to marry the Uchiha or a Hyuuga to create an even more powerful bloodline."

Naruto growled. "Jiji. I will never let my cousin marry Sasuke or a Hyuuga. You know that there are barely any males in the Hyuuga main house, and if she marries into the branch house, she's going to be branded with the cage seal. Zabuza-oji san would kill anyone that did that."

"I agree with him, Sandaime-sama. With all due respect, I believe that the Sharingan or Byakugan will overpower my own bloodline. Therefore it is prudent that when I take a husband, he would be from a clan with a bloodline that is compatible with my own." Haku said softly. Sarutobi saw the logic behind her and Naruto's words. It was true that they had tried to produce Uchiha and Yamanaka children at one time. The child only received the sharingan, and nothing else.

"Tch, just give her to Shikamaru and it'll be fine." Naruto grumbled. Haku smacked him over the head. "Naruto-kun, I am _not_ something to be given away. Remember that or I'll kill you." She snarled dangerously.

Ino patted her on the shoulder. Girl power ruled. She shot Naruto a dangerous glare as he nursed his aching head. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Shikamaru was in a bit of a daze. Naruto's words left an impact on him that didn't go unnoticed by the older men in the room.

Hiruzen sighed. "Very well then. I really have no choice in this mater anyway. To refuse Uzumaki royalty into the village is a sin in itself. Uzumaki Zabuza, Uzumaki Haku, do you pledge your allegiance to Konoha and Konoha only? If so, then kneel on the ground."

"Hai!" The father and daughter pair knelt on the ground in front of the Sandaime.

"Do you swear on your blood that you will protect the will of fire that burns within each and every individual?"

"Hai!"

"Will you live and die for Konoha?"

"Hai!"

"Very well then." Hiruzen opened his drawer to pull out two Konoha headbands.

"Congratulations. You are now Konoha Shinobi!" A relieved expression passed on the Uzumaki's' faces.

Naruto cheered as his newly instated fellow Konoha shinobi stood up.. "Hang on jiji, what level will they be?" He asked suddenly.

The Sandaime thought for a minute. "Well, Zabuza will be a jonin, but he will be under surveillance for some time. I'm sorry Zabuza, but you are still a missing nin, and it's protocol. Don't worry, it'll only be for two months. And Haku...ah ha! Kakashi, you should know that I cast Haruno Sakura out of your squad due to her terrible performance. This is a blessing in disguise. Haku-chan can join your squad! All three of them are around the same level, and now your team will be more balanced." Zabuza grumbled under his breath but accepted it. It could have been a lot worse after all. Haku's eyebrows shot up as she looked at Naruto and Shikamaru. They had the most blissful expressions on their faces.

Kakashi was pleasantly surprised, as were the rest of them.

"It's about time." Shikamaru muttered under his breath. _I'm going to be spending a lot more time with Haku now! Argh! Stupid...stupid...it's just a girl...not an 'it' she...damn it...Why am I having an argument with myself? I'm a Nara, women are supposed to be troublesome. Tch, even my thoughts are troublesome._

"Jiji, I've been meaning to ask you this question for a while. Why did you put Shikamaru, me, and Kaka-nii on the same team? I mean, family members aren't allowed on the same team are they?" Naruto inquired.

Sarutobi chuckled. "Naruto, besides Ino or Chouji, and maybe even Shino, you wouldn't work well with anyone else. Shikamaru and you make a good team. As to Kakashi as your sensei, I felt that Kurenai would able to mellow Sasuke out more so than Kakashi. But eventually, Kakashi, you will have to teach the boy something. But only when he awakens the Sharingan. Till then, your safe."

Kakashi nodded, but inwardly sighed. The boy had no personality whatsoever. Training him would be too troublesome.

"Now that the formalities are out of the way, why don't you nine tell us exactly what happened in Wave..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Some time later...<strong>_

"And so Zabuza-san ripped out Gato's heart. After that, there were a few minor incidents here and there, but Wave was effectively free. We stayed there for a week afterwards because our students were still recovering from their injuries._" _Asuma concluded their tale.

Hiruzen and Iruka were dumbstruck. Each and every genin in the room had killed before, and had taken it well enough.

_"_Wow. That's all I can really say. That was quite a tale there. This mission, though it was too much for rookie genin did teach you one lesson, and that was to expect the unexpected. I'm sorry that you all had to kill so young, however this is the reality of our lives. Well then, I'm sure you all need some time to rest among other things. So I'm giving you the rest of the day off. Come by tomorrow for more missions. Zabuza-san, tonight, we'll introduce you to the rest of the jonin population. I'm sure Kakashi and Asuma will be more than happy to do so. Ah...one more thing. Now that the last Uzumaki has returned to Konoha, would you like to be given the status as the Head of the Uzumaki Clan?"

Zabuza choked on his own spit. "What! I mean...are you serious?" He asked in a more polite tone.

The Sandaime nodded. "Yes, you are forgetting that the Uzumaki Clan is one of the clans that helped build Konoha along with the Senju. They have held council seats since the beginning."

"Oh, and who's the current head, if there is one?" Zabuza inquired. Oh wait...Naruto had mentioned something about this before...

"That would be myself." Naruto answered his uncle. The genin except Shikamaru looked at the boy in surprise. "Yes, because up until now, I was the only real Uzumaki in Konoha, I've held the council seat for the clan. However, I've never gone to a meeting. On paper, I'm the Head of the Clan, but it's Tsunade-baa-chan who actually attends the meetings as head of the Senju and adviser of the Uzumaki. She's only a quarter Uzumaki though. I'll happily relinquish the post to you if you want."

Zabuza thought for several minutes. "Hmm, I'd rather not. Clan politics are not really my thing. Naruto, sorry man, but I'll leave the Clan to you. We don't really have enough members to be called a clan in the first place, just like the Senju. I'll take Tsunade's place as your adviser if you want."

Naruto agreed with his uncle. "That's fine, plus I'm sure Tsunade-baa-chan won't mind. Just watch your back when she comes back. She might kill you for not contacting her in so long."

Zabuza shivered when he remembered his cousin's fiery temper. "I hear you there, Naruto. So, where will Haku and I be staying?"

"I have a vacant apartment next to mine in one of the shinobi complexes. We can go check it out after this." Asuma offered. "Plus, Kakashi lives next door to me." He added.

Kakashi, who had been silent till now, spluttered. "No I don't!"

"Oh, then why do I hear you every night in that apartment?" Asuma teased his friend.

Shikamaru and Naruto paled. Anko lived next to Asuma. So it was true...crap.

"What do you mean Asuma, Kakashi lives in the Nara complex." Sarutobi said.

"Does he really? Whoops, I must have forgotten." Asuma replied, while ignoring the death glares that Kakashi was trying to give him with his one open eye.

Sarutobi stared at two of his elite jonin with an questioning gaze. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the nine in front of him. "Very well then, I suppose that settles that then. Kakashi, Asuma, I expect a full report on this tomorrow. Wave country, one day will be a very important place. It's a good thing that they're free now. Once they are back on their feet, we can open up trade routes with them. So all of you shall receive pay for an A-ranked mission, plus extra money for opening up an economic venture for Konoha. Now, I want to talk to Naruto alone, so all of you are dismissed."

A resounding cry of "Hai!" Was heard in the room. Shikamaru patted Naruto on the shoulder and vanished along with Haku. Asuma gave his father an odd look but prepared to leave. Everyone else left using shushin or by foot.

When they were alone, Iruka and the Sandaime just stared at Naruto for a minute or so. He grew uncomfortable under their gazes.

"What...why...am I here?" He asked apprehensively.

Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto, there's a couple things I want to talk to you about. First off, Tsunade sent me a full report of the damage that Orochimaru's venom did to Mizuki's body."

Mizuki...Mizuki...that reminded Naruto of something that Aoi had said. "Oji-san! Before you tell me what baa-chan sent, there's something that we forgot to mention in the reports. Before we started to fight, Aoi said something about Oto...Otogakure. That's where Mizuki went to, and he came back changed. Aoi went on to mention that Oto wanted to destroy Konoha or something like that. It leads me to believe that Orochimaru is somehow involved with the village. Now I told Anko-nee and Kaka-nii the same thing when Mizuki stole the scroll. If you remember correctly, he was sent on a mission to make diplomatic negotiations with the village. I'm pretty sure that Orochimaru is the leader of this new village." Naruto told his oji-san.

Both Hiruzen and Iruka tensed. This wasn't good news for Konoha. Hiruzen knew Jiraiya was currently looking into this village called 'Oto', but they needed concrete evidence that Orochimaru was leading this village, and fast. Hiruzen didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling that something was going to happen to Konoha soon.

"Thank you for that information, Naruto. I do believe that it ties in to what I need to tell you. You see, your hypothesis was that Orochimaru's venom concentrated in his heart causing the Aorta to burst. Now this is only half true. In reality, the venom sealed off all the tenketsu points in the body. As you can tell, that means that the body's self healing capabilities as well as the usage of chakra is gone. When Mizuki's aorta burst, it was simply an unforeseen side-effect. Mizuki's bloodstream also contained animal chromosomes. Now these chromosomes are not compatible with the body in terms an extended amount of time, however they do give a short power burst hence the animal like features that we saw Mizuki had. Now, the body would then fight off the invading enemies entering the bloodstream and the entire immune system would collapse. This coupled with sealed tenketsus means death."

Hiruzen gave Naruto a couple minutes to digest the information. "Normally, I would suggest making an antidote, but it seems to complex to create. There are so many variables that have to be accounted for that an antidote might make it worse." The boy finally spoke.

"Indeed. I even talked to Hiashi-san, because I believed that Orochimaru's concoction sounded like a Jyuuken strike. But he agreed with your thoughts as well. An antidote would be impossible." Hiruzen concurred.

Iruka watched the pair and couldn't help but feel out of place. Naruto was so different now. He was extremely intelligent and quick minded, as was Shikamaru. How could have those two boys with such brilliant minds possibly hide it for so long?

"So, what else did you want to talk to me about?" The blonde asked the wizened old man.

Hiruzen stroked his beard. "Well, Zabuza mentioned this 'mental-link' that you had, care to explain it to me?"

Naruto winced. Although Sarutobi knew that he was in contact with the Kyuubi, he didn't know how much. "Ano...eto...ah..alright. I'll tell you. So this is a link that Kyuubi sets up for me when I need to talk to someone telepathically."

The two adult's eyes widened. "Telepathically? Naruto do you mean that you can talk to people through their minds? And the Kyuubi..." Iruka asked incredulously.

"Well that's kind of why it's a 'mental-link', isn't it?" He sighed. "It doesn't work with everyone. Only those that I share blood with. Like Zabuza-oji said before, it's how we found out he was my uncle. Shikamaru, Kakashi, and myself were discussing the best way to take him down, and he heard everything because of the link. I can't stop my family from hearing my thoughts when we talk through it."

Hiruzen ran a hand through his gray hair. "Naruto...you shouldn't have kept something like this from me. But, this gives us so much of an upper hand over everyone. It's actually a good thing that I put Kakakshi, Shikamaru, and now Haku-chan on your team. Because all of them have blood relations to you, team seven could become the first team that needs no verbal communication whatsoever. I need to know how long this link has been set up for."

"About four years or so. Just before those Iwa-nins came, that's when I discovered I could use it." He replied.

Hiruzen gave his pseudo grandson a calculating look. "And why did you withhold this information for me for four years, Naruto?"

Naruto recoiled at the Sandaime's semi-harsh tone. "It was because at that time you were just getting used to the idea that I was in full contact with the Kyuubi. I didn't know how you would react to that particular ability. I'm sorry." He bowed his head down low as a symbol of apology.

Hiruzen softened his gaze. "Next time, don't not tell me these things, okay Naruto."

Naruto smiled his father's famous flashy grin that made thousands of women fawn over him. Hiruzen couldn't believe how much he looked like Minato at that moment. "I promise, I won't."

"Well then, one last thing before you go. Honestly, how do you think Haku-chan's abilities compare to your own." He was very curious as to what the ice-wielding daughter of Zabuza could do.

The blonde boy smirked. "Oji-chan, as an individual, she's about the same level as us. But together, we are going to be unstoppable. Just wait till the chunin exams, we're going to show the world exactly who we are."

Iruka and Sarutobi smiled at the confidence in his tone. They would just have to wait and see.

"Ja-ne, jiji, Iruka sensei, I'll see you guys later. I really want to show Haku-chan around Konoha, though Shikamaru might have beat me to it. Speaking of those two, I wasn't kidding when I said that Haku should be with him. I mean, I've seen the way he looks at her. Trust me, no one would treat her better than Shika. Just keep that mind." With that, he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"I'll have to trust you on that, Naruto." Sarutobi said to no one in particular. "Well come on, Iruka. This paperwork isn't going to complete itself you know."

Iruka sweatdropped. This was supposed to be the old man's job, yet he leeched it off to the young chunin. Iruka scrambled to stop a stack of falling papers. "Hai, Sandaime-sama!"

* * *

><p>Asuma had just finished showing Zabuza and Haku the empty apartment. It was at a decent price, and Zabuza had a good amount money with him. It would keep him and Haku with some cash till they started working.<p>

"So, what do you think?" Asuma asked the duo.

Zabuza scratched his chin and looked at Haku. She nodded. "We like it. It's roomy enough for two of us, and it's better than any other place that we've had before. All it needs is some furniture and we're set!"

"I'm assuming that you'll take it then?" The bearded jonin pressed.

"I guess we will. Wow, that's the fastest we've ever done house shopping. Even if we wanted a crappy apartment it always took us days and days." Zabuza sad enthusiastically.

"Great! I guess that means that we're neighbors. I'll go talk to the landlord about the pricing. Till then, feel free to walk around Konoha. Just don't wander off. You should probably get to know everyone here soon. But next to me is Mitarashi Anko, and next to her is Maito Gai. But stay away from Gai when he's in one of his "Springtime of Youth" speeches." Asuma shuddered. "And whatever you do, don't let him make you wear his suits. Two words...green spandex. It equals being scarred for life."

Zabuza shuddered too. He had heard stories about Konoha's green beast. Now he would see him in real life. Haku just wondered why everyone was hounding on the poor man, even though spandex was atrocious.

"I'll see you guys around then! Bye." Asuma left to go settle their apartment. His meeting with Kurenai would be delayed somewhat, but he would make it up to her in a very memorable way.

As if on queue, Naruto and Shikamaru arrived right after Asuma left. They looked at each other and mumbled 'troublesome' under their breaths. It was uncanny on how in sync their minds were.

"Well, now that the two of us are here, why don't we show you guys around Konoha some more?" Naruto chirped.

"Sure, why not, I've been dying to see some of the places." Haku enthused.

Asuma reappeared moments later. "Sorry Zabuza-san, could I borrow you for some time, we need you to sign the deal on the house."

Zabuza nodded. "Looks like I'll go around the village another time kids." He disappeared with Asuma seconds after that.

The three kids shrugged and leisurely made their way into town. Haku noticed some of the glares that were thrown Naruto's way. He just seemed to ignore them though. However, she did see other looks as well. A few people waved at them, and some of the girls had lust eyes. When they saw Haku walking between the two heart throbs, they all seemed to glare at her. She was bewildered by all of these looks while Naruto and Shikamaru giggled. She hadn't done anything to them, yet they seemed to hate her. Unconsciously, she moved closer to Shikamaru who didn't mind their proximity. Haku thought she saw a flash of black and blue hair disappearing behind a pole.

"Naru, Hinata's stalking you again." Shikamaru stated.

Naruto sighed. Sometimes he felt sorry for the girl. He knew that she had confidence issues and all, but it was seriously annoying him that everyday he would see her following him everywhere. It was like an obsession! "I know Shika, I know."

"Hinata...is she the person hiding behind that pole over there?" Haku asked. Hinata was out of earshot so she couldn't hear what the object of her desire was saying or why he was with this raven haired beauty. **Stay away from my Naruto-kun or I'll kill you bitch! **Of course she didn't have the guts to say that out loud. It would sound pathetic.

"Yes, ever since I pretended to be the dobe of the Academy, she's been like this. She likes me or something like that. " Naruto answered nonchalantly.

"Ohh, do you like her back?" Haku pressed on.

Naruto gave his cousin an odd look. "Hell no! What Hinata likes about me, or rather the persona that I played, was that I never gave up on anything, no matter what it took. Now while this is true, I'm not the goof ball of a guy that she envisions."

Haku excepted her cousin's answer readily enough and hooked each of her arms through both of the boys causing fangirls to gape at the girl's sheer audacity. Hinata nearly fainted right then and there. "So, what say you boys take me to this ramen place that Shika told me about last night."

Naruto chuckled while Shikamaru blushed at his shortened name. "To Ichiraku's we go!" Naruto crowed, and the three shushined out of their much to the surprise of the nosy onlookers.

Teuchi nearly got a fright when two of his favorite customers along with a raven beauty appeared out of no where in a swirl of leaves. "Boys, please don't do that! My heart is bad as it is, let's not stress it out too much now!"

The two boys rubbed the back of their heads in identical movements. "Gomen, gomen, but we just got back from a long mission, and Haku-chan here wanted to see this place." Naruto explained.

"Oh-ho...Haku-_chan_, eh. So who exactly is this lovely lady?" Teuchi laughed. At that moment, Ayame had joined them as well.

Naruto scowled at the older man. "She's my cousin, don't get any weird ideas old man."

Ayame and Teuchi blinked in surprise. Cousin? Naruto had _more_ family? "I see, so what's your name darling?" Teuchi asked the girl who was taking in her surroundings. She quite like the cozy and intimate setting of the small stand.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. My name is Uzumaki Haku. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Teuchi grinned. Another Uzumaki eh? Oh this was perfect for business. Everyone who was familiar with the Uzumaki clan knew about their voracious appetites. "Nice to meet you Haku-chan. I'm Teuchi, and this is my daughter Ayame."

Ayame nearly squealed at the girl's voice. Boy was it angelic. She was so beautiful too, and so feminine. They were going to have a lot of fun times together! "So Haku-chan, are you a civilian or a ninja?" Ayame asked the girl.

"I'm a ninja, actually, I'm on their team." She replied, gesturing to the two males who flanked her on each side.

Naruto's stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly. "Ayame-nee-chan, you and Haku-chan can talk later about girly things, but right now all of us are damn hungry!"

Haku sighed. Naruto was almost exactly like her father when he was hungry. It was so troublesome.

Teuchi chuckled. "Alright Naruto, what would you like to have?"

"Yosh! I want a bowl of miso ramen, a beef ramen, a chicken ramen, and a vegetable ramen!"

**Good choices kid, this way we'll both be full.** Kyuubi said in the back of Naruto's head.

_Hehee, I know right?_

"And you, Haku-chan? What will you have?"

Haku looked over the menu very carefully. "Hmmm, I'll have a large chicken ramen."

"Okay then, and you Shikamaru?"

"Tch, I guess I'll have the beef ramen then."

"Good, good, just give me a few minutes, and your orders will be right with you."

Haku watched as Teuchi and Ayame made the ramen. She had eaten the food a couple times, but it had never really appealed to her. But perhaps that would change today.

_"_Haku-chan, just you wait, it'll be the best ramen you've ever had!" Naruto gurgled. His mouth watered. Almost two weeks without ramen was a terrible time for him. Shikamaru sighed as he shared a look with Haku. His cousin never changed...

Ten minutes later, steaming dishes were put in front of them. Naruto immediately broke his chopsticks apart and dug in. Shikamaru lazily picked up some noodles and slurped them up. Haku watched both the boys eat and decided to do the same as well. She was quite hungry and it smelled quite delicious. She separated the two pieces of wood and delicately picked up some noodles and a piece of chicken. All of a sudden, everyone's eyes were on her. She hesitantly put the food in her mouth and swallowed. As soon as the food passed through her lips, she let out a moan of pleasure. "Oh. My. Kami. This has to be the best food in the world!" She eagerly slurped up more noodles completely unaware at the looks she was getting from those in the stand.

Ayame, Teuchi, and Naruto were beaming. "See, you just had to give it a chance." Naruto grinned.

Shikamaru just stared. _Not another Ramen freak...but at least she's a hot one. I mean did you hear that moan? Kami-sama..._

"Teuchi-san! One more please!" Haku yelled as she tipped her empty bowl towards the man.

Naruto gaped at her. How was she done before him? He hadn't even finished his first bowl yet! Plus she had a large bowl too...

Teuchi inwardly smirked. The Uzumaki females always had more appetite for ramen than Uzumaki males. His business had surely just tripled. "Your wish is my command, my lady."

Haku ignored Naruto's shocked expression. "What, did you think that I'm a dainty woman who doesn't eat anything. Hell no, when I eat...I eat."

Naruto smirked. "You know, I'm liking you more and more every day cousin."

After half an hour, everyone's tabs had been paid. Haku had eaten a total of seven bowls-all large. Naruto had eaten fifteen and Shikamaru had eaten four. Teuchi was left a very rich man.

"Come back any time you want Haku-chan!" He had called as they had left.

Now the trio was walking around Konoha. Shikamaru and Naruto were pointing random things out to her like the training grounds, or the location where they had broken their first bones. By now, many jonin had found out that Zabuza was instated as a Konoha jonin. They had also learned that his name was _Uzumaki_ and had come to Naruto many times asking what it was like to have Zabuza as an uncle. Naruto, in response had told them to ask Haku, because she was his daughter. The shinobi shivered when they saw the glint in Haku's eyes. Another Uzumaki was in town, and she would kick your ass if you made one bad remark about Zabuza or even Naruto and Shikamaru.

* * *

><p>Now I'm sure many of you are wondering what has happened to our favorite pink haired banshee. Well...let me tell you. After she had told her parents exactly why she had been thrown off of her team, her parents had been furious, not at the Sandaime, but at her. The Sandaime had been so kind as to send a letter detailing the reasons she was no longer a part of team seven They demanded why she hadn't done her part on the team, and she had replied it was because the tasks were too manly for her. Sakura thought, that her parents, who were civilians, would understand why a girl shouldn't have been doing those chores. Oh no, it was quite the opposite in fact. Her civilian parents were disgusted with their daughter's behavior. However, she was still a shinobi. Sakura had promised her parents that she would train seriously and advance through the ranks.<p>

At the moment, the girl was walking around town, picking up kunai at the local weapons store. Imagine her surprise when two of her least favorite people walked in the store with an unknown girl. She hid in a corner, watching them with emerald eyes. It seems as though they had returned from their mission.

"Ah, Naruto and Shikamaru. It's been a while since I last saw you two, and who is this lovely lady with you today?" The owner asked the boys.

"Konichiwa, Saido-san. Indeed it has been quite a while. This here, is my cousin, Uzumaki Haku. We were hoping if those kunai that we ordered a couple weeks ago have arrived. And I think Haku-chan wants to buy some more senbon needles." Naruto told the man.

Saido raised his eyebrows. "Cousin eh? Interesting. And yes Naruto, your kunai have arrived. Shikamaru and you can go in the back and bring it here. It's a big box marked 'NARA', so you can't miss it. Meanwhile, I'll show Miss Haku here why Konoha has the best senbon in all of the elemental nations."

Haku giggled and allowed herself to be dragged away by the man. Naruto and Shikamaru went out to the storage room.

Sakura stared at the girl who Naruto had introduced as his cousin. What was so good about her, and not about Sakura? Oh that's right. Sakura wasn't a serious kunoichi. She glanced at Haku's hands. They were calloused and had some fading bruises on them. The girl's nails were cut down so there was no nail at all. Then she looked at her own hands. Her nails were perfectly manicured and her hands were as soft as a baby's bosom. They were civilian hands, not kunoichi ones. She wouldn't allow herself to wallow in her own sorrows though. She wanted to hear more of the conversation.

"Saido-san, these senbon are rather short, do you have some longer ones perhaps? And maybe some clear ones instead of those grey ones. For the techniques I use, clear is always better."

_Techniques,_ Sakura thought glumly. _I don't have techniques. How will Sasuke-kun ever notice me?_

"Why indeed we do. If you would come this way please. Ah yes. I believe this is what you are looking for."

"Excellent! These will be perfect Saido-san, I'll need quite a few though. Heck, I may de-stock you." Haku commented.

The man laughed. "Well then, it's fine with me. Oh, looks like Naruto and Shikamaru are back!"

"Yes we are." Shikamaru declared. "And those kunai were excellent. Just put everything, including whatever Haku-chan bought or is going to buy on the Nara tab."

"Shika-kun, I can pay for it myself you know." Haku chided.

"Hai, demo you're new in Konoha, so think of it as your welcome gift." Shikamaru responded.

"So Haku-san, are you a new genin as well?" Saido turned to face her, with her bag of senbon.

"Yes, I am. I believe I am the newest member of team seven under Kakashi-nii-san with Naruto and Shikamaru. I heard that their other team member was kicked out, so the Sandaime decided I would be her replacement."

Sakura's heart stopped. _She _was her replacement? Naruto's cousin? When did this happen, moreover, where did she come from? The Sandaime was clearly being unfair here. Sakura wanted to cry right now.

Saido nodded, then placed his hands on his chin. "Oh really? Well actually I was hearing rumors about how the other girl was not doing her part on the team so I suppose it doesn't come as that big of a surprise. In fact, I think the girl came in before you guys. Sakura was her name, right?"

"Yeah, and to tell you the truth, we're all glad that she's gone. I mean, Naruto here had to pretend to have a crush on her in the Academy, and that was bad enough. Then she was put on our team, but she really didn't fit in too well. Even Kaka-nii was relieved when jiji said that she was no longer on the team." Shikamaru added.

"A shinobi must be able to do his or her part in the field. If they can't do that, then they shouldn't be a ninja in the first place." Saido surmised philosophically.

Sakura placed a hand over her mouth to cover the sobs that threatened to erupt. Why? Why was she so useless that even her sensei thought that they were better off without her? And why were those three so familiar with him in the first place? Naruto and the others had promised to explain everything to her, and she needed the answers right away.

"Ja-ne! Saido-san. We'll come back another time." Sakura heard Naruto call as the door closed.

"Come back soon, you three!" Saido yelled back. "Hmmm, I have to restock my senbon collection already. She wasn't lying when she said she might clean me out..."

Sakura dashed out of the store when Saido was in the back, she couldn't take it anymore. The slandering of her name was getting to her, and she needed to be back home where there was safety.

"I'm so happy that my senbon collection was replenished!" Haku crowed in delight. "But still Shika-kun, I think I should have paid for it myself." She pouted.

Shikamaru gulped when he saw that adorable pout but quickly said, "Haku-chan, like I said before, it's your first time here, so please think of it as a welcome present!"

"Fine, fine." She grumbled. "But I'm going to treat you to something next time! No arguments allowed."

Naruto grinned at their playful banter. This was a very good omen for the future.

Next, they took her to visit the upper class areas of Konoha where their complex was. Haku met with the Nara patriarch and matriarch (Shikaku and Yoshino) and they invited her for dinner that evening. Haku hit it off right away with Yoshino and the two immediately began discussing ways to keep men in line together. Suffice to say, the three men in the room slowly inched away before the ladies got to them.

They showed her where the old Namikaze complex and the Senju complex was as well. Ino and Chouji later came out of their complexes to show her around as well. All in all, Haku had met pretty much all of the important clans today.

* * *

><p><strong>5:00 Jonin Complex<strong>

"Zabuza-san, I think that Konoha will be brilliant for someone like you." Asuma told the burly man as they made their way to the jonin meeting place. Kakashi was right behind them, his nose buried in his grand-uncle's book. Now today, he wasn't actually reading the book, the was looking for material that he could try out with his sexy viper. They had gotten through about half of the book, but there was just so many ingenious ideas that Jiraiya wrote about. They couldn't go to waste.

"Oh, and why is that?" Zabuza humored the bearded jonin. Over the time that he had spent with the man, he had started to respect him more and more. Asuma had basically found them a place to stay Though, he doubted that no matter how great Asuma said a place could be, it would sate his needs.

"Well, for starters, there are many missions that you can take, so you'll never be bored. The women here are top-noch. There's excellent sake and bars all around the place...and so much more!" Asuma was practically bouncing up and down as he explained Konoha's greatness to Zabuza.

Zabuza bared his pointed teeth at the man in what Asuma was assuming was a grin. The wrappings around his face were gone as were the old clothes that he wore. Instead, he had ditched those for a more practical navy blue undershirt, and the classic shinobi pants. He also had on his new Konoha headband around his forehead and the green jonin vest with the Uzumaki spiral on the back. "Is that so...well then that's not too bad is it?"

Asuma scratched his beard as if in deep thought. "You know, there's a kunoichi named Mitarashi Anko, and her personality is damn similar to yours. You guys might hit it off nicely."

Kakashi's book snapped closed. Zabuza stopped and stared at the younger man before shaking his head. "Really, Mitarashi Anko you said...it's a name that I'll have to keep in mind."

Asuma glanced at Kakashi before grinning. He just wanted to piss the guy off some more. Consider it revenge for when Kakashi used to torture him in their childhood. Kakashi had his usual aloof look on him, but the only difference was that he was shaking slightly. Only a highy trained shinobi would be able to detect the difference.

The jonin complex came into view. Asuma, Zabuza, and Kakashi walked in casually. Many jonin such as Genma, Raidou, Kurenai, Hayate, Yugao, and Anko were already there. They all stood up when they saw the unlikely trio walking in.

"Woah...so that's Uzumaki Zabuza eh?" Genma whispered to Hayate.

To Hayate's immense surprise, Zabuza walked right up to him. "Are you Gekko Hayate?"

"Um...yeah...why..s..cough...cough...sir, is something...cough...the matter?" He asked with a bit of fear in his voice. The other jonin looked at the pair with some interest.

"No...it's just that when Naruto...my nephew was fighting, he used his sword. I've studied sword styles for many years now, and I believe he used **Mikazuki no Mai**, which is a Gekko Clan style." Zabuza elaborated to the sickly jonin.

Said jonin's shoulders relaxed. He didn't even realize that he had been tensing them. "Yes, Naruto did learn under me for sometime. I would have taught Shikamaru too, but the boy said that using swords was too troublesome."

And the two started talking about various subjects ranging from swordsmanship to the latest Icha-Icha. Oh yes, all Konoha males were perverts. But the surprising part was, the females were even bigger ones.

Speaking of perverts, the world's most sadistic couple were standing right next to each other, listening with feigned interest to Zabuza and Hayate's conversation.

"Why didn't you come to me when you were done with your meeting?" Anko hissed at the masked jonin.

"I didn't have time, Gai wanted me to check something out with him. And you know Gai, he's impossible to avoid once he wants something from you." Kakashi replied in a hushed whisper.

"Zabuza-san! Now that you've met Hayate, these are the other jonin of the village!" Asuma interrupted their conversation and pulled Zabuza towards the others.

"This here is Genma! He's a great guy, just don't get him drunk, because he tends to destroy things." Zabuza looked at the man with the senbon in his mouth. Wasn't that a bit dangerous?

"Nice to meet you, Zabuza-san. We've actually met before, but I was a chunin back then. In fact, it was in Kiri, and you helped me escape from someone." Zabuza and the others looked at the man in confusion. Then Zabuza remembered. "Oh, you were the brat who decided to come into Kiri wearing your Konoha headband. That wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do you know, Kiri hated Konoha back then."

Genma rubbed the back of his head and twirled the senbon in his mouth some more. "Whoops."

"Anyway, this is Raidou, and this is Yugao." Asuma continued. Zabuza gave the man and woman a nod. They seemed like nice enough people. But Konoha sure had weird hair, purple?

"This is Kurenai, she's also a jonin sensei. You saw her in the Hokage's office before." Kurenai gave Zabuza a handshake. Zabuza was entranced by her eyes. Ruby-he had never seen that color of eyes before.

"Oh! And this is the lovely Mitarashi Anko that I was talking about before!" Anko gave Asuma an incredulous look and was even more taken aback by Kakashi's growl. What the hell?

Zabuza looked at the woman with amusement. He could see now why Kakashi was so overprotective of the girl. She was wearing nothing under her fishnet, and a trenchcoat over that. If there was a village that would win weirdest clothing, Konoha was it.

Kakashi scooted closer to Anko's side, placing an arm over her shoulder. Everyone turned to stare at them. "Hatake Anko, her name is Hatake Anko." He spit out at Asuma.

Genma's senbon dropped on the floor. Yugao burped. Hayate forgot to cough periodically. Kurenai tried to dispel a genjutsu. Asuma choked on the cigarette he was smoking. Anko squawked. Zabuza just watched in humor.

"MY ETERNAL RIVAL HAS GOTTEN MARRIED TO THE LOVELY AND YOUTHFUL ANKO! WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME KAKASHI! WHERE WAS THE WEDDING? WAS THE CAKE NICE? OH WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME OUT OF THIS YOUTHFUL CIRCLE MY COMRADES?" Gai had chosen now of all moments to appear. It seems as though he had heard what Kakashi had said. Then again, the entire complex had.

"Kakashi and Anko...married?" Yugao croaked out. Hayate inched away from her, hoping she wouldn't get any ideas. "For how long Kakashi?" Kurenai asked the happy couple.

"Two years now. And we're expecting a third Hatake on the way." Kakashi replied without missing a beat. "So Asuma, that's the reason why I've been with her at her apartment. It's because she's going to be the mother of my child."

Asuma backed away from the S-ranked nin. "Woah man, I'm sorry, I didn't know that you and Anko were like that!" His hands were out in front of him in case Kakashi decided to attack.

"Kakashi..." Anko whispered to the man menacingly. He gulped. Oh shit, he had really said that out loud? "When exactly were you going to tell me about this? We're expecting children now? And we were married for two years? THEN WHERE WAS I WHEN WE GOT MARRIED YOU IDIOT?" She yelled the last part out so that everyone could here.

Hang on, Kakashi _lied_? The other jonins watched in sheer amusement as the copy-ninja hid behind Zabuza.

"Hey well in my defense, I was considering marrying you two years ago. And one day you will be the mother of my children. So it'll be true..." The silver haired idiot hastily said. Zabuza picked the smaller man up and put him in front of Anko. He was in a pickle here. The Hatake Kakashi that the world knew was stoic and uncaring, he was not awkward and jealous.

"We. Need. To. Talk. NOW!" Anko hissed. Each word was emphasized by jab in the gut. She would have kicked him in the nuts, but she needed those in the future, so she didn't want to damage them. Anko grabbed Kakashi by the ear and shushined him out of the room.

An awkward silence fell over the remaining jonins.

"Well, so you've already met Kakashi..."Asuma chuckled nervously. Kakashi was an idiot sometimes, no scratch that, he was an idiot all the time. It's just that he hid it extremely well.

Zabuza turned to look at the bearded jonin. "You know what Asuma-san, I think Konoha will be brilliant for me..."

* * *

><p>The next couple of weeks passed without incident. Haku and Zabuza fit right in, mingling with the ninja and getting along well enough with some of the civilians. Nearly everyone was surprised that S-ranked ninja Momochi Zabuza was actually Uzumaki Zabuza and the uncle to their resident ex-Uzumaki.<p>

Kakashi and Anko's relationship had taken a slight dip. All Anko wanted was for Kakashi to stop acting like a jealous fool, and be more like the Hatake Kakashi that she knew. He wanted to please her. Needless to say, there was some palpable tension between them.

Haku, Shikamaru, and Naruto had the ideal dynamic of a true team. Teamwork obviously wasn't an issue, they each knew their own strengths and weaknesses. It only took Haku a couple of missions to figure out how Shikamaru and Naruto fought as a team. Since both had the Nara bloodline, either one of them would trap the opponent while the other would incapacitate them. Now with Haku added to the equation, it wasn't hard to adjust. Haku fought similarly to them, preferring to fight from the shadows and be invisible. The Sandaime had decided that they would be quite a good assassination team. Haku's Ice Mirrors were a great way of trapping the enemy and killing them swiftly.

It was quite clear to the Sandaime that these three clearly were not genin level, they were at least chunins. However the days of field promotion were over as Konoha was not in war time. Unfortunately, the kids had to go through the process of the chunin exams.

And that was the reason why the Sandaime had gathered the jonin senseis in his office right now. It was time for the chunin exam nominations.

The Sandaime looked all of those in his room over with appraising eyes. "You know why you're here. Let's get on with it. The chunin exams start in exactly two weeks. If you think that your team has what it takes to compete in the exams, then step forward." The old man commanded.

In nano seconds, Kakashi stepped forward. "I Hatake Kakashi, leader of Team Seven nominate Uzumaki Haku, Nara Shikamaru, and Nara Naruto. Sandaime-sama, you know full that those three are not genin level. They have already proved that they have what it takes to be chunin." Kakashi told his leader with such conviction, that the wizened man was eager to see what exactly they could do.

"Indeed I do Kakashi...indeed I do. Who else?"

Asuma stepped forward as well. "I, Sarutobi Asuma, leader of Team 10 nominate Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, and Aburame Shino. They have shown maturity beyond their years and have the mentality and skill of a chunin."

Some of the other jonins present were slightly concerned that only the rookies were being entered. Gai was in the background, mulling over his fellow shinobi's desicions. It was true that teams seven and ten were probably the most advanced out of the rookie teams. Gai himself had his three youthful genins under his wing for about a year, yet they had not taken a life yet. And Kurenai's team was decent, but the Uchiha boy always tried to take control of the situation, causing rifts in teamwork. After some deliberation, Gai spoke as well. "I Maito Gai, leader of Team Gai, nominate Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, and Tenten. Out of all the teams here, my team has the most experience, though none have killed yet. I believe that they are ready for promotion." He proclaimed confidently.

Titters and murmurs were heard throughout the crowd. Finally, Kurenai spoke as well. "Sandaime-sama. I Yuuhi Kurenai, leader of Team 8 nominate Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uchiha Sasuke for the exams. It will be a good way to test their skills out."

Iruka pretty much had a heart attack right then and there. "Hang on Sandaime-sama! You don't really intend to send twelve rookies into those exams do you? People can _die_ there. And I mean...some of them might be ready but others..."

"Iruka." The Sandaime swiftly cut him off. "The decision is not yours to make. If their senseis feel that they are competent, I will trust their judgement."

The scarred chunin grudgingly nodded and went back to his place. The Sandaime cleared his throat as he prepared to talk again. "There is another reason as to why you are here. A few weeks ago, the genin known as Nara Naruto was given the mission by me to find out why Mizuki wanted to steal the Scroll of Sealing. Naruto confirmed that he was going to give it to Orochimaru. Naruto also told me that Mizuki had gone to a village by the name of Otogakure for diplomatic negotiations that eventually failed. Mizuki was reported to have odd behavior after that. Jiraiya's spy network recently found out that Orochimaru is indeed the Kage of Sound. Konoha is going to buckle down on its security right now. We will go into our wartime defensive measures." The Sandaime paused to take in the grim and somewhat frightened expressions on his shinobi's faces. His voice turned icy as he spoke once more. "There is a very good chance that Orochimaru will be in Konoha during the chunin exams. Don't inform the genin as of yet, we need to sees how this plays out. Remember, be on your guard. Trust no foreign village, even our allies. We need to prepare for war." Hiruzen sat back in his chair wearily. "That is all. You are dismissed."

The shinobis vanished quickly, plagued with the thoughts of another impending war. The Sandaime was left to his own musings as he stared out at the village through the large window. _Orochimaru, what have you become?_

* * *

><p>Our three favorite genin were currently waiting for Kakashi on the training grounds. Naruto and Shikamaru were playing a game of shogi in which Shikamaru was beating Naruto. When it came to strategy, Shikamaru's Nara brain over powered Naruto's own. However in terms of raw strength, Naruto was far superior because of his sheer stamina. All in all, they were a balanced pair.<p>

Haku had asked the two boys if she could watch them play shogi. Shogi was a game of strategy, nothing more nothing less. Haku wanted to see if she could predict their next moves. It would help her think farther ahead and anticipate the enemies moves on the battlefield.

Naruto looked up suddenly. "We have a guest guys." He pointed at the figure approaching them. Shikamaru could distinctly make out a mop of pink hair. He sighed. She probably had heard what was going on, and had come for answers. He pitied the girl...slightly.

Sakura came up to them with delicate steps. She stopped in front of all three, and stared at them for a while. "I need some clarification." She finally said.

Naruto and Shikamaru sighed, knowing that this was coming. Haku simply looked on, assuming that this was their ex-teammate.

"We realize we haven't been completely honest with you, and that might have affected you. What do you want to know, Haruno-san?" Naruto asked in a tired voice that made him sound more like an old man than a teenager.

"I just want to know why you've changed." She answered quietly.

"We never changed. We were always like this. It's just that people don't bother to look underneath the underneath anymore, and they never saw either of our masks. Hell, Naruto wore a genjutsu since our academy days, and no one commented on it! Naruto never had a crush on you, he was never an idiot, and neither was I. He's always had our bloodline, and we've always lived in the same house ever since we were born. What more do you need to know?" Shikamaru replied in a lazy tone.

Sakura remained silent as she took in what the brunette had told her. There was something beyond that, Sakura knew it. Something big, a secret perhaps. "I heard you today..." She started softly. "In the store. I heard how that person over there is your cousin, and how she's going to be replacing me." Sakura said, pointing at Haku.

Naruto and Shikamaru gave each other glances. Naruto stared at the girl in front if him with pity. "Listen, I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry that we didn't tell you every detail of our lives. We didn't act like teammates, and frankly, we made a crappy team. But can you honestly refute anything we said today? Can you call yourself a team player when you hated both of our guts and wanted nothing to do with us? We gave you a chance. You never took it." His tone never changed, yet even Sakura caught the hint of anger as he spoke.

She was silent for some time, never answering Naruto's questions for she knew what the truth was. It was simply her pig-headed-ness getting in the way. "Who is Kakashi-sensei to you? That's my final question. Then I suppose I'll leave you three alone."

"He's our cousin." Shikamaru plainly stated.

Sakura's emerald eyes widened for a moment. Something was clearly wrong here. Family was not allowed to be on the same team, yet this team, it was entirely comprised of family members! However she nodded. It would explain the closeness that she had perceived from them all. "I see. You have given me quite a bit to think about. I'll take my leave now." Giving the three a stiff formal bow, which they returned, she promptly turned on her heel and marched forward, never looking back.

"Well that went well." A voice behind them commented.

"Kaka-nii. Why do you always have the urge to sneak up behind people?" Shikamaru asked, not bothering to look at his silver haired cousin.

Kakashi appeared in front of them and smiled his typical eye smile. "Well you know...it's in my blood, coming out of the shadows and all." He replied cheekily.

The three of them simply sighed and plopped down on the grass, shogi forgotten. "So, why have you decided to grace us with your presence so early?" Haku checked her imaginary watch. "It's only an hour since the time you told us to be here."

"Maa maa Haku-chan, no need to get so uppity on me! I was late because all the jonin senseis had a meeting with the Sandaime. The chunin exams start soon." Kakashi announced to his three cousins, holding three forms up.

All three perked up at this. "Seriously?" Naruto questioned incredulously. Kakashi simply nodded.

"They begin in a weak and I am 500% sure that you three already have the skills to be chunin."

The three shot him looks as if to say 'what the hell did you think otherwise?'

"Right, so that's why I called you here today. There's no training." Kakashi chirped. "Besides, I need to go somewhere!"

"Is Anko nee-chan still made about what happened a couple weeks ago?" Shikamaru asked half sympathetically half curiously. Someone...cough...Gai...cough...had let it slip about Kakashi's blunder. Needless to say, his image was pretty much changed into that of a lovestruck man, making the the apple of several women's eyes. Anko, was, to put it kindly, pissed as hell at him. There was only so much a woman could take from her jealous, overprotective boyfriend. Kakashi would have to try _very_ hard to win her back.

"Shut up Shika." Kakashi grumbled and shushined out of there. Naruto chuckled. "So, what say us three hit the ramen stands?" He asked hopefully.

"Ooh! Ramen! Let's go!" Haku exclaimed enthusiastically, grabbing both the boys and heading towards the ramen stall before any of them could say a word. Sigh. Uzumaki women were just too troublesome.

-0-0-0-

A couple minutes later, they were walking through the village at a nice pace. Aside from the occasional glare thrown Naruto's way, it was quite a peaceful walk...if you ignored the piece of wood that kept following them...and giggling.

Shikamaru elbowed Naruto who grinned and nodded. He walked over to the moving piece of wood. "Man do I have to pee or what! No one's around here, so I think I'll take a piss right here...on this wooden fence." He said loudly. He even unzipped his pants, to make the whole thing sound realistic.

He smirked when he saw the 'wooden fence' shake. "Oh yeah! It's going to come out now!"

Haku and Shikamaru laughed in the background. All of a sudden, the 'wood' turned into three kids who were surrounded by clouds of smoke. Naruto heard coughing.

"You used too much smoke Konohamaru!" A female voice reprimanded the boy.

"Sorry!" Came another, semi-male voice.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed three children, two male and one female. The lead boy, named Konohamaru, was wearing a yellow shirt with the Konoha symbol on it, underneath it, his pants were a light grey/blue color. On his head, he wore the goggles that were once Naruto's, which had once belonged to Uchiha Obito. To his right, the girl with the two orange pigtails sticking out also had copied Konohamaru's style and wore her goggles her head as well. The last boy phlegm coming out of his nose. He wore huge glasses and was by far the plainest of them All.

"Konohamaru, don't you want to say it?" The boy named Udon asked him. Moegi nodded eagerly, but Konohamaru shook his head.

"What's the point, nii-chan already figured us out. See, Haku nee-chan and Shika nii-chan are laughing at us in the background." The Sarutobi said sadly.

Naruto ruffled the brunette's hair. "Don't feel bad! I sensed you following me only because I'm an awesome ninja!" Naruto boasted...until Haku rapped him over the head. "Itai! Haku-chan!"

"Baka! Konohamaru-chan, Moegi-chan, Udon-chan, I'll show you how to properly use this cloak of invisibility so that Naru-kun over there won't be able to sense you!" Haku exclaimed, walking off with the children who had sparkly eyes. She then shushined the three off to somewhere in a swirl of snowflakes.

Naruto and Shikamaru watched them leave. "Damn, that woman can hit hard." Naruto winced, rubbing his sore head. "Why is it always me, and never you?" He grumbled under his breath.

"Maybe because I'm less troublesome than you." Shika replied.

"Or maybe she doesn't want to damage her future husband too much." Naruto retorted slyly. He grinned when Shikamaru turned red and walked away from Naruto, muttering something nondescripit.

Naruto caught up with Shikamaru in a second, and the two of them followed Haku's chakra slowly. All of a sudden, Naruto's muscles tensed. He paused in steps, looking around. Shikamaru glanced back at Naruto's odd behavior.

"Is everything okay?"

"Not sure...c'mon, let's go find Haku...and quickly." Naruto commanded. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at his cousin, but did as he said.

All the way there, Naruto couldn't shake off this feeling...it wasn't of dread...yet of excitement and...nostalgia.

_Hey, is something going to happen?_ Naruto asked his tenant.

**Just wait and see Kit, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.** Kyuubi told him in his mind.

This made Naruto even more curious as to what it was. "Shika...Haku and the kids, they're over there...by the main gates, and they're not alone." Naruto told his cousin quietly.

Shikamaru turned to the gates. Indeed, Haku and the three academy students were standing at the gates, with three unnamed ninja in front of them. The three looked slightly menacing, and Naruto feared for his cousin and the kids. On the other hand though, the feeling of nostalgia nearly tripled. He heard Kyuubi laughing in the background.

In a quick handsign, the two of them disappeared, and reappeared right in front of Haku and the kids.

"Haku, stand back." Naruto ordered. She complied, taking the three scared children with her. They watched from a distance.

Shikamaru and Naruto looked the three ninja up and down. The shortest one, in the middle clearly was the most intimidating. He had blood red hair and a tattoo for _love_ on his forehead. His eyes were puffy and had black rims around them, suggesting that he didn't sleep very well. He wore an outfit that was red as well, along with a gourd strapped to his back. The next one was a blonde girl, with hair nearly the same color as Naruto. It was done up in four ponytails. She wore a light lavender colored shirt with matching pants. On her back rested a huge fan. She was most likely a wind user if the fan was any indication. The last boy was the tallest of them all. He looked...eccentric to say the least. Dressed in all black, including a black headdress, he had something wrapped in bandages on his back. A puppet user probably. And was that makeup on his face?

"State your business in Konoha!" Naruto shouted, taking a battle stance.

The girl huffed. "Jeez, we're here for the chunin exams. There's no need to be so cold." She looked Naruto over a couple of times. It seemed that Konoha bred fine species of men...wouldn't she like to know. The brunette next to the blonde was also a fine piece of meat. Which one would she eat first?

Naruto relaxed slightly. The chunin exams...it made sense now. Foreigners were coming here, and it seemed that these were the first batch.

"Naruto nii-chan! I bumped into the makeup boy and he threatened to kill me! And then Haku nee-chan saved me!" Konohamaru piped up from behind them.

Kankuro growled at the boy with the ridiculously long scarf. Naruto turned his gaze on the makeup boy. Kankuro gulped. It was filled with killer intent. "You dare threaten to kill an academy student? Do you know who he is? He is the grandson of the Hokage. I suggest. for your own safety, you never come near him again." Naruto spat out.

Kankuro shook slightly. Well, it was a good thing that he hadn't killed the brat then.

Gaara looked at Naruto curiously. He felt so familiar to him...or rather to his mother...

_Mother, is this boy the one?_

**Yes Gaara, he is the container to the Lord. Do not underestimate with him, and under no circumstance will you fight him. Do you understand?** The tanuki commanded. Gaara mentally nodded. So this was the vessel to the Kyuubi? Gaara could feel the power oozing off of the blonde. He radiated confidence and leadership. The blonde's blue ice were like ice, scrutinizing all of them with narrowed eyes.

Naruto was having similar thoughts. The red head felt like a long lost brother or something. Well, he had red hair...most Uzumakis had red hair...but that was impossible.

_Kyuu-nii, who is he?_

**He is the container to my subordinate, the Ichibi or Shukaku**. Kyuubi grinned. Well this was a nice reunion of sorts.

Naruto gasped and took another look at the red head. He was also a jinchuuriki?

Gaara saw Naruto's reaction and gave off a slight smirk that scared the children even more. "It seems as though you have noticed."

Everyone stared at Gaara in confusion, even Shikamaru. But of course, in a few seconds the genius Nara had it figured out.

"Indeed I have. May I have your name?" Naruto asked the red head politely. Gaara's siblings looked at the blonde like he had a second head.

"Sabaku no Gaara. These are my brother and sister, Temari and Kankuro. We are the children of the Kazekage" Gaara replied stiffly, not used to someone outside his family talking to him so _normally_.

Oh great, if Naruto and company would have fought the siblings, there would have been another international conflict

"Gaara eh, it seems like we shall meet again very soon." Naruto turned around, glancing at the tree next to them, walking up to it, and kicking it a couple times. No one commented on that action of his. "Come on guys, let's leave the nice Suna people to themselves. We don't want to bother them anymore." He said, picking up Konohamaru as he passed him.

Shikamaru stared at his cousin for some time before shrugging and following behind him, chucking a random shuriken at the tree beside him.

The three sand siblings were left alone, their eyes watching the retreating backs of the Konoha ninjas. "Those idiots should know never to turn their backs on an enemy." Kankuro snorted.

"They don't consider us enemies. That's why. If you attack them, I'll never forgive you." Gaara quietly said.

His two siblings turned to their youngest brother in surprise. "But why! I mean..." Temari waved her hands.

"Because I do not want to upset him." Gaara simply stated, an eerie grin adorning his face as he walked forward, his eyes flicking towards the tree.

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other, the same thoughts running through their minds: Who was him? And what about that tree was so interesting?

* * *

><p>In the tree, rested a trio of people each wearing headbands that had a music note on it. One of the people had just dodged a shuriken that had lodged itself if a branch.<p>

"They're good." Someone casually commented.

"They sensed us here." A female said, some fear laced in.

"Orochimaru-sama said not to worry about them, but I'm not so sure. Something's off. We completely suppressed our chakra. No genin should be able to sense us. We have to keep an eye out on them, all of them." Another male voice said, authority in his tone.

They descended from the tree, and quickly went off to report to their master. He wasn't going to be very happy.

* * *

><p>"Naruto...what was that about?" Haku asked him after they had dropped the children back at the academy. It turns out they had skipped class, and Iruka wasn't very happy with them.<p>

"The kid with the red hair, he's like me. He has the **Shukaku** sealed inside of him." Naruto explained to the raven.

Haku gasped slightly, before composing herself. She wasn't aware that there were more people like Naruto in the world. Shikamaru saw this and decided to clarify. "There are nine **Bijuu** or tailed beasts in the world. Each hidden village has its own jinchuuriki, maybe more than one. In Konoha, the Kyuubi has been sealed in the Uzumaki family for three generations now. Shukaku is in Suna. I know for a fact that Kumo has two beasts, and Kiri must have some as well."

"The life of a jinchuuriki is not nice. We are supposed to be human sacrifices, weapons. But that isn't true. We're still human, even if we have monsters sealed inside of us. Gaara understands this. I can see it in his eyes. He accepts himself for who he is, for what he is. I'm sure he's lived a tougher life than I have. But that's why we are strong. Everyone wants us to fail, to die. Because of this, we are forced to grow up quickly, forced to relinquish our childhood. When we meet someone like us, it can be either good or bad. I'm sure Gaara will want to meet with me soon, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Me and him, we're brothers by circumstance. We need to stick together." Naruto added quietly, his hands in his pockets, his head down.

Haku and Shikamaru silently contemplated what he had said. It was true. Jinchuuriki were scorned, hated for what they carried even if they had no choice. Killing a jinchuuriki would expunge the bijuu from his or her body, causing something like the Kyuubi attack to happen all over again. But people never saw that side. The thought that killing a jinchuuriki would kill the bijuu as well.

Haku draped an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Naru, you're not strong because you're a jinchuuriki, you're strong because you have people that love you, and you want to protect those people. Remember that." He smirked at her. "Of course I know that. I don't need to rely on the red haired idiot inside of me for everything."

**I resent that Kit! I'll never talk to you again!** Kyuubi cried, fake tears running down his face.

_Oh shut up, you were asleep until I said that. You ignored everything that we said after you told me that Gaara had Shukaku in him_

Kyuubi didn't have a retort, so he simply went back to sleep, dreaming about rabbits and snakes and the best way to kill them.

Shikamaru smiled a true smile, not one of those half smirks that he gave. "Let's not talk about such depressing things. The chunin exams are in a week. We need strategies. Naruto, let's go play some more shogi, and we'll talk."

"What about ramen?" Naruto and Haku whined at the same time.

The brunette sweatdropped. "Fine, we'll have ramen, then we'll go play shogi."

"YATTA!" The two cousins yelled at the same time, racing towards Ichiraku.

Shikamaru shook his head. Uzumakis were troublesome as hell...no question about that.

* * *

><p><strong>Omake: Konohamaru and Naruto<strong>

The first time Naruto had seen Konohamaru was when the boy was first born. Naruto had wondered quite loudly why the baby looked like a hairless rat, much to all of the Sarutobis' contempt. But over the years, Konohamaru had grown, and much to Naruto's fascination, it turns out he wasn't a hairless rat.

It was at the age of seven, when Konohamaru was three, when Naruto decided that he was going to train the youngest Sarutobi. Of course Hiruzen was very scared because it was around this time that Naruto had developed the 'Sexy-technique', with the help of Jiraiya. Jiraiya still had the scars from Tsunade to prove how angry she was when Naruto had shown her the 'Kage Killer.'

It was around the age of five when Konohamaru had decided that his 'Naruto nii-chan' would become his oyabun (boss). His lifelong goal at the time, was to find out how Naruto had made his grandfather bleed so much just from doing one technique.

Naruto immediately accepted the young Sarutobi as his disciple and began training him right away in the forest of death. The sexy no jutsu was a very intricate, very complex technique. It combined taking the male pervertedness, and transforming it into something tangible. The first person that Konohamaru had tried it on was Kakashi because he was the second most perverted person in the village. Of course, Konohamaru's sexy no jutsu ended up being a fattter, older, and _male_ version of Anko. Kakashi couldn't look at Anko in the eye for the next three months without remembering that image.

The second time he had tried it, it had been on Ebisu, his perverted private tutor who hated Naruto. Konohamaru had turned into Kurenai, with some major changes. For instance, Kurenai's hair, which was black was now red, and her eyes were orange. The rest of her body was not worth describing. Luckily though, Ebisu was put into the hospital for nearly two weeks because of 'mental trauma'.

It took seventeen tries, but the Sarutobi finally did it on none other than the king of perverts himself, Jiraiya. He had turned into an older, bustier, female version of himself. And then Tsunade had come along, watching as her husband drooled over some unknown female.

Konohamaru had henged back into his five year old self after Jiraiya's beatings had started. Horrified, he screamed out for Naruto to come save him. The blonde had arrived in the nick of time, sparing Konohamaru's eyes and ears from the disasterous sight.

Naruto had made Konohamaru promise that he would only use the technique when times were desperate. It had been a pinky promise.

Three days later, Naruto was confronted by an irate Sandaime who was nursing an enormous nosebleed. Konohamaru was standing in the corner, grinning to himself.

Hiruzen had asked why Naruto thought it was necessary to teach Konohamaru that particular technique. Naruto argued that he told Konohamaru to only use it when he had no other option.

When they both asked Konohamaru why he used it, the boy had simply said that Hiruzen was forcing him to eat his vegetables, and he hated vegetables. When it had gotten too much for the boy, he used the sexy no jutsu.

Konohamaru had to eat vegetables for the rest of the month every night. Naruto had to feed him.

The both had promised never to use the technique in front of the Sandaime again...unless they needed to.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry it took that long to update! I kind of neglected this story...oops. Please rate and review!<strong>

**On a side note, you might think that I'm making all the bad characters good (Zabuza, Haku, Gaara)...they weren't really bad in the first place, but they did play a big role in Naruto's development. No...it's not going to be one of those 'Naruto makes everyone good stories', but Gaara being good is a big part of the story. So just bear with me.**

**Ja-ne!  
><strong>


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